10 Uses Of Stethoscope
So, you have reported to your primary doctor for constant sneezing and cough issues, and he brings out his stethoscope and looks into your eyes. Then, he places one end of the stethoscope on his ears and the other on your chest. He analyzes something quickly and then recommends some medicine for treatment. And now you are clueless about what exactly did he do?
Before you get more confused, let us brief you on what a stethoscope is and how it works. A stethoscope is a medical instrument that a doctor uses to listen to your lungs and heart and identify the problem you are dealing with. Doctors can read the heartbeat rate by using this device and understand the blood flow within the body, which is essential to understanding the issue. Moreover, they can also determine the seriousness of the disease through the sounds he hears on the stethoscope.
Over the years, physicians and healthcare professionals have used it for multiple purposes with diverse uses. The following are some of the most crucial uses of a stethoscope.
1. Liver Size Can Be Measured
This might seem unbelievable to many of you, but a stethoscope can detect the size of the liver. It can do so by measuring the vertical length of the liver from the nipple line. The index finger should be positioned directly in the nipple line, down at belt level, with the stethoscope inserted beneath the right nipple. The stethoscope will produce a faint sound than usual while the finger is over the liver. By marking these two points and calculating the length, the doctors can estimate the liver size. If it exceeds 10cm, the person has a significant liver; anything below that means a small liver, and an exact 10 cm means it is normal.
2. It can be used as a deaf aid.
In cases where patients’ hearing is impaired, doctors may allow them to use the stethoscope. In addition, doctors can use the chest piece as a makeshift hearing aid by talking through it.
3. It can be used to calculate blood pressure.
This is another prominent use of stethoscopes. Doctors attach the blood pressure cuff to the upper arm and then place the stethoscope below it to listen to the heartbeat at the brachial artery. They study the diastolic and systolic pressure and read it when the Korotkoff sounds are first heard until it drastically falls.
4. It can determine lung sounds.
Since stethoscopes can read the heartbeat, they can check if the patient’s heart is beating correctly. By understanding the standard rate of the patient and then comparing it during the time of the disease, the doctor can identify if they are breathing correctly and, if not, then is there any lung inflammation due to air blockages.
An entire lung checkup consists of listening to the seven back paired areas and six chest paired areas. By checking these areas near the lung, it becomes easier to detect the abnormalities.
5. It can detect heart sounds.
Stethoscopes can also detect heart sounds. Doctors can understand if there are ‘murmurs’ or ‘gallops’ in a heartbeat. However, this is not that easy to see, and doctors can take some time to identify the heart sounds appropriate. The doctors check the pulmonic, aortic, tricuspid, and mitral, and then, based on their analysis, they provide their medication.
6. Bowel sounds can be measured.
It’s easy to check for irregular bowel sounds, but it’s crucial in bowel blockages or paralytic ileus cases. Borborygmi are loud bubbling or gurgling sounds that are generally innocuous and can be avoided.
7. It can detect bruits
If you don’t know what bruits are, it is a soft whooshing sound that occurs in the blood when it passes through the artery. This sound indicates that the artery has narrowed, which has caused a disrupted flow. This disease can be detected in the umbilicus, kidneys, neck, iliac, femoral and temporal arteries. Doctors examine these areas through their stethoscope before providing any medication for treatment.
8. It can be used to check congestive heart failure.
If the heart and the lung are making improper sounds, then it might mean that there can be congestive heart failure. So the doctors check both to uncover the cause of irregular or abnormal heartbeats and diagnose the same.
9. Can be used to keep a day-to-day track of body sounds
Since stethoscopes amplify the sounds of each body part within the body, doctors use them daily to monitor and see if a patient is doing well or his condition is improving. They analyze the first-day reports, cross-compare them with regular reports and check if the situation has deteriorated or has become static or stable.
10. Can check the recovery rate from surgery
The anesthesia used in surgery causes the bowels to slow slowly. As a result, when patients wake up after surgery, they often have little appetite and maybe queasy. The doctor can typically determine the patient’s state of healing by listening to the stomach using a stethoscope.
Now you know the top uses of stethoscopes and why it is beneficial even today. Due to all these uses and much more, it will keep surviving for more years to come and will keep treating patients better and in a more effective way. Each stethoscope has a unique feature, color, style, and design, and you can choose the one that you find the most valuable or attractive for your purpose.
However, ensure to check its description and compare it with other products before buying to not go wrong with your purchase. You can get your stethoscope from ShakeDeal to be confident regarding the quality.
- You can buy the red dual-head adult stethoscope as it has multiple features such as comfortable angles, PVC ‘U’ shaped tube, and comes in an aluminum color. Moreover, it is also lightweight and can be carried to different destinations.
- You can purchase a black dual head stethoscope with a comfortable seal ear tip made of rubber and comes in gold-plated zinc alloy.
- You can also purchase a purple dual head stethoscope that has a safety lock and an ergonomic headset. No matter what you decide to purchase, you will get them at a premium quality with reasonable prices.
