Best Stethoscopes For Emts And Paramedics

By Asad | Updated 3 years ago

Let’s all be honest with each other. We might not accept it but at one point, we have all grown up thinking we will become doctors. Some of us actually pursued that dream while the rest of the people realized that they were good at something else. The point being, we have been playing with stethoscopes since forever and it is high time, we learn what it actually does and what are the best stethoscopes for EMTs and paramedics.

A Stethoscope is an instrument which is used to hear the internal sounds of the body. It is used to check the heartbeat, blood pressure and any and almost every abnormal heart sounds and murmurs in the body. The stethoscope has 2 rubber tubes with an earpiece attached with the valve. The valve connects to the chest piece from the other side which is either in shape of a bell or in a flat disc to catch the higher frequencies.

What are Stethoscopes used for?

A stethoscope is basically used for the detection of heart murmurs, irregular heart rhythms, or abnormal heart sounds. It can also be used to listen to the sound of air moving through the lungs in order to detect abnormalities in the air tubes and sacs found in the lung wall.

Review of Best Stethoscopes for EMTs and Paramedics

As an EMT or a paramedic, the most important tool that you will use is a stethoscope. In hospitals and pre-emergency situations, these are not used to just check the blood pressure. The type of stethoscope that you have can have life and death consequences in emergency situations. You need to have the best stethoscope in order for you to know that the physical assessments are accurate.

If you are even closely related to the field of medicine, you would know the importance of a stethoscope. A stethoscope is an important part of an EMT gear. It is necessary to take the right measurement and a good stethoscope will help you take accurate readings of the patients.

• ADC Adscope 601 Convertible Stethoscope

You may have been attracted to it by its appealing and stylish appearance but it has much more to offer than just its aesthetic looks. The ADC Adscope 601 stethoscope has made it in some of the best stethoscopes for EMTs and Paramedics.

Key Features:

• The feature that makes it stand out from the rest of the stethoscopes is its convertible chest piece for adult diaphragm/bell.
• To enhance its acoustic performance, this stethoscope comes with a design which helps in picking different frequencies.
• The stethoscope has additional accessories with it as well. It comes with two additional pair of ear tips for your personal comfort and a complementary scope ID tag.

Comparison:

It has a high-performance cardiology headset feature with a convertible chest piece which is not found in other stethoscopes.

Our Verdict:

If you want a stethoscope with advanced features and you don’t mind putting some extra money into it, then this stethoscope is perfect for you. This is one of those stethoscopes that everyone wishes to have.

• 3M Littman Classic III

This 3M Littman Classic III is manufactured by the company that produces the best stethoscopes not only for EMTs and Paramedics but also for other health care professionals. The product itself is highly exceptional. Not to mention, the stethoscope is highly sensitive to a small change in sound vibrations and can pick up even the small changes.

Key Features:

• It allows you to adjust the tension of the headset for a customizable and comfortable fit for various heads.
• It contains a single piece diaphragm which is very easy to clean and attach.
• It can monitor and assess a wide set of patients, ranging from pediatric patients to old age patients.
• It is perfect for listening and identifying different parts of the body.

Comparison:

This stethoscope has comfortable ear tips, excellent ambient noise obstruction, latex free body and also chest pieces of varying sizes.

Our Verdict:

If you are looking for a stethoscope that will fit your head perfectly and won’t hurt your ears wearing for very long, this 3M Littman Classic III is the choice for you.

• MDF Pulse Time Stethoscope

This MDF Pulse Time stethoscope provides exceptional durability, reliability, and comfort. Not only does it look amazing and outstanding to the eyes but this stethoscope comes with advanced features that are not found in every other stethoscope.

Key Features:

• The company values comfort over anything and hence, this lightweight stethoscope was introduced.
• The high acoustic performance with accurate and precise measurements took all other stethoscopes by storm.
• This stethoscope has a chest piece of course and features a digital analog clock which can be connected with your watch for better results.
• Another feature of the stethoscope is the dual-leaf spring construction which provides twice the durability and reliability of a normal stethoscope.
• This stethoscope prevents punctured eardrums by safety lock ear drum adapters which are non-invasive and user-friendly.

Comparison:

This stethoscope features a lot of functions that are not present in other stethoscopes like an LCD clock, precise measurements, safety eardrum adapters, and latex free body.

Our Verdict:

We would definitely recommend you buying this stethoscope because of its efficient and very patient friendly mode of checking the vital signs. MDF Pulse Time is worth the money you spend on it.

• 3M Littmann Lightweight II S.E

Littmann is every health professionals favorite be it a doctor, dentist, an EMT or a paramedic. This one is very user-friendly because of its tunable diaphragm and dual-sided chest piece. The stethoscope is so precise that it even responds to the slightest of change in pressure to capture the low and high-frequency sounds with the help of a tunable diaphragm.

Key Features:

• It can take the measurements for the patient’s blood pressure in addition to the basic functions of a stethoscope.
• 3M Littmann Lightweight Stethoscope features a teardrop design which makes it better suited for auscultation around the patients’ blood pressure cuffs.
• The stethoscope is extremely lightweight, which was given off by the name.
• It also features a rim and a non-chill diaphragm for patients’ comfort.

Comparison:

Special care is taken into designing this stethoscope. It fits in very nicely into the ear canal path. This increases in comfort and is a feature very rarely found in other stethoscopes.

Our Verdict:

This stethoscope is perfect for you if you are a student or someone who needs easily adjusted stethoscopes which is super lightweight and easy to carry around in the hospital all day long.

• Omron Sprague Rappaport Stethoscope

This model Omron Sprague Rappaport is the most versatile and affordable stethoscope that you will find in the market. The affordability and reasonable price don’t mean that it is of low quality and that is one thing we can assure you of.

Key Features:

• It has latex free body, a material which can trigger an allergic response to a lot of people.
• It comes with several accessories and not to mentions the colors of course.
• The stethoscope boasts three open bells of different sizes.
• It comes with 2 different pairs of ear tips and two diaphragms of different sizes.

Comparison:

This product is a 5-in-1 multi-purpose diagnostic tool, with high quality and very accurate and precise measurements.it has latex-free tubing and a chrome-plated chest piece.

Our Verdict:

If you are looking for a versatile and reasonable EMT and paramedic stethoscope, this Omron Sprague Rappaport stethoscope is the choice for you.

Investing in a good stethoscope

Almost every health professional is required to have their own stethoscope with themselves all day long when you are in the hospital. It is one of the most frequently used tools and it is necessary to invest in a good quality stethoscope:

• Comfort

Have you ever borrowed someone else’s stethoscopes and as soon as you wear them, it hurt your ears? Getting your own good quality stethoscope is very important due to the fact that we will be using this stethoscope for almost every assessment and if you don’t have a good quality stethoscope, say goodbye to your ears.

• Quality

If you can’t rely on your stethoscope for emergencies and other accurate and precise measurements, what good is your stethoscope anyway? You need to invest in the kind of stethoscope that will be worth your money and you don’t have to spend again and again on a good quality stethoscope.

• Lightweight

You must have realized by now how important this feature is. Buying a stethoscope that will hurt your ears with its weight it just your money down the drain. So, while buying a stethoscope you need to keep in mind how often you are going to use it and so go for something more lightweight.

Our Verdict:

We have provided you with the market’s top and best stethoscopes for EMTs and Paramedics. With so many brands and models for stethoscopes, it is impossible to find something that fits your criteria. But once you know what you want in your stethoscope, its kind of made the job easy by eliminating the ones that you don’t want.

We hope this article helps you find what you are looking for.