Stethoscope: History, Current Practice, Functions and How to Use

It is a device that doctors and nurses usually use. They use it predominantly to perform controls on the functions of the heart and lungs.

These controls are called auscultations. Medical professionals can easily hear if the heart or lungs function properly thanks to a stethoscope.

In general, cardiac function and lung function sound routine and clean. Then, if there are murmurs during the auscultation, the medical professionals will know that something has happened, and more research is needed. To a lesser degree, mechanics also use stethoscopes.

During the operation of an engine, stethoscopes can be used to determine any failure that may occur in the cylinder of a combustion engine.

Unfortunately, a cylinder can not be opened during engine operation to check for faults as this could interfere with the regular operation of an engine.

Therefore, a stethoscope allows them to perform diagnostics on the motor, like a medical professional with a human body.

History of the stethoscope

It was invented in France by the French scientist René Laennec in Paris. This innovation came from necessity. He felt uncomfortable placing his ears in the women’s chests to hear the sounds of the heart. As a result, he decided to devise a device that would add more distance between himself and his patients.

 

The prototype he came up with seemed like an eye device that pirates would use.

He would place his ear on one end of this primitive stethoscope, and the other end ended up in his patients’ chests. The design of this device has many similarities to an old ear device called an “ear trumpet.”

Rene noticed that a rolled notebook would amplify the sound of a heart beating with physical contact with the patient. He called his device a stethoscope. The term stethoscope has its origins in ancient Greek. “Stethos” means chest, and “Reach” can be translated as a listening device.

The first forms of stethoscopes that resemble those we know today emerged in 1855 and were invented by Golding Bird. These were the first to have flexible connections. This next level of innovation is intended to provide greater comfort to people who perform auscultations.

Current practice

As we know them today, Stethoscopes are possibly the most recognizable medical piece.

They are the sign of medical professionals. Studies have also shown that images of people in lab coats experience a significant blip in confidentiality if they have a stethoscope around their neck.

Automatically people associate stethoscopes with the reliability of a doctor. Although to a lesser degree, the mechanics are also frequent users of stethoscopes! Some say that, slowly, the stethoscope is becoming obsolete.

The increase in portable ultrasound devices is slowly decreasing stethoscopes in hospitals.

At least when it comes to cardiovascular research. However, the stethoscope still has its place by checking the lungs and intestines for signs of disease. However, only time will tell for how long.

How to use a stethoscope

General

Whenever possible, it is recommended to do an auscultation in a quiet space. However, this is not always possible for EMTs, and for them, different stethoscopes have been developed.

You can read more about the best stethoscopes for EMTs here. Most stethoscopes they use have unique noise-dampening technology to dampen background noise.

You need to do an auscultation in a silent space seems obvious. You must focus entirely on the sounds you want and need to hear. A noisy environment will only distract you too much from the work at hand.

Next, it is essential to remember that patient positioning plays a vital role during auscultation.

A patient’s lungs may sound different whether lying on his side or sitting, etc. To listen to the heart and abdomen, it is recommended that the patient lie down. However, it will be easier for the lungs if the patient sits.

I am using the bell correctly.

Third, you must decide if you want to hear the high-pitched or low-frequency sounds. The bell on your stethoscope will probably have two sides. As described in the previous sections, one is a bell, and the other is a diaphragm.

The diaphragm is the lower side represented in the image above.

It is a plastic sheet that transmits the vibrations of the skin and transmits them through the tube to the ears of the listener. It would help if you used this side to hear medium to high pitched sounds.

On the other hand, the side of the bell is just a camera that is formed between the bell and the thorax of your patient. The change in the volume of this chamber as a result of, for example, heartbeats causes sound waves to travel through the tube to the ear of the listener. Use this site to … you guessed it … low sounds.

Note: always use the chest piece on bare skin. If your patient still has clothes while using his stethoscope, he may hear nothing but creak. The same problem persists if you treat someone who is too hairy. Unfortunately, in that case, there is nothing the patient can do about it other than shaving.

However, if you face a hairy patient, keep the chest bell to mark the rooting to a minimum.

Inspecting the heart

Heart sounds are usually medium to high pitched. So, to study the heart, you need to use the diaphragm on your stethoscope. Place the diaphragm on your patient’s chest. Try placing it so that the diaphragm covers the space in the upper left chest, where the fourth and sixth ribs meet.

This is almost directly below the chest. Then hold the bell between the index finger and the middle finger. Apply pressure gently until you no longer hear your fingers rubbing further.

Ask your patient to breathe normally. Try to listen to the heart for a full minute. You should hear a sound best described as a “club-dub” sound during this time.

Of course, it is difficult to transmit a sound through the written text, but I have discovered that “lub-dub” is very close to what you will hear in real life.

These sounds “lub” and “dub” also have their own more scientific names. The “club” or systolic sound occurs when the mitral and tricuspid valves of the heart are closed. The “dub” or diastolic sound happens when the aortic and pulmonary valves close.

Count the number of heartbeats

In general, the resting heart rate of an average person can range between 60 and 100 beats per minute. However, a well-trained athlete will have a bigger heart. As a result, the seat will need to pump less per minute to circulate the blood throughout the body.

The resting heart rate of a well-trained athlete is between 40-60 beats per minute. The average heart rate per minute varies for infants and children under ten years of age. For newborns, it is swift. Between 70-190 BPM.

However, as the child matures, his heart grows, and he has to beat less to keep the blood flowing. Once a child turns 2, his heartbeats between 80 and 130 BPM.

Children between 7-9 have a heartbeat between 70-110 BPM.