When it comes to evaluating the lungs and heart, you need an efficient stethoscope to get the best auscultation sounds. Having the right stethoscope is important for both diagnosis and assessment of a patient.
In the past, pulmonary and breathing assessment used to be confined to physicians. However, nowadays things have changed. It doesn’t matter necessarily whether you are a paramedic, EMT, nurse, or a therapist, you will need a stethoscope for auscultation therapy in the clinic. Therefore, you need the best stethoscope for respiratory therapist that will allow you to make the best diagnosis.
What to Consider When Choosing a Respiratory Stethoscope
To find the best stethoscope for lung auscultations, you need to look at the chest piece.
- The part should be made out of a high-quality material—preferably Brass or Stainless Steel.
- Next, confirm that the diaphragm is durable, flexible, and fits tightly into the chest piece.
- The stethoscope tubes should be considerably thick. In this case, it would be better to choose a double lumen stethoscope.
- Coming to the earpieces, they should be angled, smooth, and comfortable to put on.
All the above features will ensure you end up with the best respiratory stethoscope. You can be sure such a stethoscope will deliver high quality and clear sounds in your ears. The difference between the inaudibility and clarity may be determined by how the stethoscope fits your ears.
The general functioning of a stethoscope is usually determined by its diaphragm. Therefore, selecting a stethoscope with a high quality diaphragm is important to avoid air leaking against it and the chest piece. Any leaks undermine a stethoscope’s performance.
Which is the Best Stethoscope for Respiratory Therapist?
Recent studies conducted by emergency medical personnel, nurses, physicians, and respiratory therapists conclude that the Littmann Cardiology III is the best respiratory stethoscope. This is due to the dual head chest piece, comfortable fit, high quality auscultation output sounds, and the tunable diaphragm.
The stethoscope is a little heavy and therefore, it may take you some time to get used to it. However, the heavyweight may be an indication of its high quality.
Best Stethoscope for Heart and Lung Sounds
If you will be using your stethoscope to listen to both heart and lung sounds, we recommend the ERKA Precise stethoscope. This German stethoscope boasts of excellent acoustics that rivals the Littmann Cardiology III. Moreover, it is about 50 percent cheaper than the Littmann model.
ERKA Precise stethoscope is available for sale in the United States through Medelita website and Amazon.
Conclusion: Best Type of Stethoscope for Respiratory Therapists
As a respiratory therapist, you need a high quality stethoscope that provides excellent acoustics. The Littmann Cardiology III and ERKA Precise stethoscopes will work well for any respiratory diagnostics situation.
If you prefer to stick with the well-known brand, you can go with the Littmann. However, if you want to save some bucks, go for the ERKA Precise.
The performance of the two respiratory stethoscopes is comparable. So, the only deal-breaker here is the price. Littmann Cardiology III is more expensive than the ERKA Precise stethoscope.