The stethoscope was invented in Paris in 1816 by René-Théophile-Hyacinthe Laennec. In essence it wasn’t much more than a hollow wooden tube but was the first significant step in the field of auscultation. In 1851, Arthur Leared invented the binaural stethoscope, which is fairly representative of what we have today. So, why has so little changed in the field of auscultation over the last 150 years? There have been minor refinements over the years, but these largely relate to newer materials becoming available rather than real technological advances.
What about electronic stethoscopes? They have actually been around for over 20 years now, but rather than being embraced by doctors they seemed to have been shunned, which is at odds with our acceptance of a vast array of new technologies within the field of medicine. Why are doctors and students so averse to moving with the times with the single most commonly used diagnostic aid at our disposal? The tool we reach for first when asked to assess a patient. Adopting electronic stethoscopes would seem a natural transition; after all, we are not slow to adopt new technologies in our personal lives, the latest phones, laptops, TVs, games consoles to mention but a few. So is it cost that holds us back? Not really, at £250 or thereabouts, they’re not more expensive than many of the ‘must have’ gadgets that crop up year on year.
It would seem the answer is pride! Using an electronic stethoscope at work is akin to shouting from the rooftops that you are pretty much useless at auscultation and couldn’t hear a barn door 6/6 systolic murmur even if it jumped out of a patient’s chest and slapped you in the face. In addition to pride, there also seems to be a perception that you will be seen as a pompous so and so.
The truth of the matter is that most people, medical students through to consultant cardiologists, are pretty poor at auscultation. Therefore, we really should take advantage of whatever help we can. So can electronic stethoscopes help? Or is it just wishful thinking…….They just make everything louder don’t they? Even the sounds we’re not interested in, so what’s the point?
Early electronic stethoscopes did suffer from some of these weaknesses and this appears to have contributed to the poor uptake, however, things have changed…. the two key technological features that have developed greatly in recent years are; Ambient Noise Reduction Technology and Frictional Noise Reduction Technology.
Over the coming weeks we will take a careful look at the 3100 and put it through its paces – feedback from medical students, junior doctors and consultants to follow from our real world road test.