Littmann Stethescope

The stethoscope is an acoustic medical device for auscultation, or listening to, internal sounds in a human or animal body.

Dr. Littmann was a distinguished cardiologist and recognized international authority on electrocardiography. In 1961, Dr. Littmann described his "ideal" stethoscope in the November issue of the AMA journal.

The device included an "open chestpiece for the appreciation of low-pitched sounds, a closed chestpiece with a stiff plastic diaphragm to filter-out low-pitched sounds, firm tubing with a single lumen bore, the shortest practical overall length, a spring with precise tension to hold the ear tubes apart, and light and convenient to carry and use."

Dr. Littmann's description of his invention is what is now referred to as a "combination " or "two-sided chestpiece " stethoscope... a major advancement in stethoscope technology at the time. The current 3M™ Littmann® Classic II S.E. Stethoscope, a very popular 3M product, incorporates many similar features as found in Dr. Littmann's original stethoscope designs.

The Littmann Stethescope is most often used to listen to heart sounds and breathing. It is also used to listen to intestines and blood flow in arteries and veins. Less commonly, "mechanic's stethoscopes" are used to listen to internal sounds made by machines, such as diagnosing a malfunctioning automobile engine by listening to the sounds of its internal parts.

The stethoscope is used in aid of diagnosing certain diseases and conditions. The stethoscope is able to transmit certain sounds and exclude others. Before the stethoscope was invented, doctors placed their ear next to the patient's body in hopes of hearing something.

Littmann Stethescopes are often considered as a symbol of the doctor's profession, as doctors are often seen or depicted with a stethoscope hanging around their neck.

More recently, ambient noise filtering has become available in some electronic stethoscopes, with 3M's Littmann 3000 and Thinklabs ds32a offering methods for eliminating ambient noise. In acoustic stethoscopes ambient noise filtering is available in DRG (R. Deslauriers) external noise reducting models, and Magna Fortis (M. Werblud) acoustic noise canceling stethoscope models.

A fetal stethoscope or fetoscope is an acoustic stethoscope shaped like a listening trumpet. It is placed against the abdomen of a pregnant woman to listen to the heart sounds of the fetus. The fetal stethoscope is also known as a Pinard's stethoscope or a pinard, after French obstetrician Adolphe Pinard (1844-1934).