60 out of 60 people found this review helpful.
Littmann Classic II S.E. Stethoscope
Date of Review: Aug 31, 2008
The Bottom Line: This is a great stethoscope!
Before my nursing courses began, I took a class to become a Certified Nursing Assistant. During the course of that class, students were asked to learn to take blood pressures. To do this, one needs both a blood pressure cuff and a stethoscope. Unfortunately, the stethoscopes that the facility had were terrible; I couldn't hear anything through them, and neither could most of the other students. When nursing classes began and I had to purchase my own stethoscope, I wanted to buy one that would allow me to hear well, and which would last a long time. I wound up purchasing a Littmann Classic II S.E.
Description
This stethoscope has a beautiful, professional look to it. There were a variety of color choices at www.allheart.com, where I ordered mine; I chose navy blue. The chest piece is probably the most distinctive part of this stethoscope; it features a cursive L and the words "Littmann Quality" right on it.
According to the box, this stethoscope features:
High acoustic sensitivity.
Patented tunable diaphragm for monitoring high and low frequencies.
Traditional combination chest piece with non chill rim.
Compact and durable design.
Patented Littmann Soft-sealing eartips.
I should mention that, along with the many color choices, www.allheart.com offers personalization of the stethoscope. A couple of people in my nursing class opted to pay the extra $15.00 for this, and it may have been a smart move; high quality stethoscopes are small enough to steal easily. (I keep mine around my neck at all times when it is not in use to avoid this possibility.)
Use and Experience
Once I had my Littmann Classic II S.E. Stethoscope in hand for nursing classes, our first task was to test out on taking blood pressures. I was honestly a bit nervous that I wouldn't be able to hear the blood pressure sounds with my new stethoscope, but I was delighted to discover that I could her them very clearly. I was able to pass that test and move on to learning to listen for a variety of other things with this instrument.
I have been able to hear bowel sounds, basic heart tones, and lung sounds very clearly through this stethoscope. As students, we start by listening on mannequins, other students, and any friend or family member willing to let us practice on them; when we get to clinicals, we do practice on real patients. I have been very happy with this stethoscope under each of these circumstances, and I now have a lot of confidence in this piece of equipment.
The earpieces really are comfortable, although of course if you left them in for long periods of time they would not be. An extra set of plastic covers is included with the stethoscope.
The one thing about this stethoscope that I'm not totally persuaded is perfect is the "non chill" rim. Putting the chest piece against my skin, it does feel somewhat less cold than stethoscopes that I've had placed on me in the past. However, it still feels cooler than room temperature. I'm not sure there's a way to make a stethoscope chest piece that won't, though.
Cleaning the stethoscope is easy; it can be wiped clean with alcohol or with soapy water. I usually just grab an alcohol wipe and run it over the entire stethoscope. The eartips can be removed for more thorough cleaning as well.
Cost and Where to Buy
As I have mentioned, I purchased my stethoscope online at www.allheart.com. The current price there for this model is $63.98; it costs an additional $14.98 for personalization. Other online medical supply stores sell this model, as well as brick and mortar medical supply stores. My college bookstore also offered this model.
I love my Littmann Classic II S.E. Stethoscope and would recommend it to anyone starting nursing school or medical school. I love how it looks, but more importantly I love how well I can hear lung sounds, bowel sounds, heart sounds, and especially blood pressures through it. And it's comfortable! 5 stars.
