A Comprehensive Guide To Stethoscope Parts and Their Functions

A stethoscope is one of the most essential tools that is used by various healthcare professionals. It is a great companion for nurses, doctors, healthcare professionals, and students who are pursuing their MBBS. A stethoscope helps in identifying problems related to the heart, lungs, and other sounds of the body to identify health-related problems. Here in this blog, we are going to discuss the important stethoscope parts and their functions. 

Parts of a Stethoscope

The important stethoscope parts are as follows:

• Chestpiece
• Diaphragm
• Bell
• Stem
• Tubing
• Headset
• Eartips

Let’s discuss the important parts and functions of the Stethoscope

Chestpiece- This is the most important part of the stethoscope. It is round in shape and also a central part of the stethoscope. This has to be placed on the chest of the patient to detect the sounds including the subtle sounds of the body. As far as if we talk about the Littmann stethoscope’s chestpiece then it is very accurate and can easily detect subtle sounds. It is advisable to use the chest piece directly on the patient’s skin.

It comprises Diaphragm, bell, stem, etc. Even in some models, there are two-sided chest pieces.

Diaphragm- This is the round and circular part of the stethoscope. It’s large and wide part helps you to listen to the wider area of the patient’s body. Diaphragms are particularly designed to eliminate the chill when it is placed on the patient’s body. There is a role of chill ring involved in this that helps to make an airtight seal so that a patient can’t feel the coldness of the diaphragm.

Bell- This is one of the most important parts of the stethoscope. As you can easily listen to high-pitched sounds with the help of the diaphragm whereas you can easily detect low-pitched sounds with the help of a bell. Even the murmuring sounds are best heard with the bell.

Stem- It helps in building the connection of chestpiece and stethoscope tubing. This is made up of metal. This helps in the quick switch between the diaphragm and the bell, especially in those stethoscopes that have a two-sided chestpiece.

Tubing– This builds a strong connection between a chestpiece and the ear tips. As you can listen to the sounds that are being picked by the chestpiece. A stethoscope is available in both the options of single tubing and double-lumen tubing.  

Headset- The upper part of the stethoscope is the headset. It comprises ear tubes, ear tips, and tension springs. The role of this is to ensure the efficient flow of sound so that there is a minimal disturbance. 

Ear tips- These are the silicon buds that fit inside the ear. Most stethoscopes come in different sizes. Picking the wrong size may affect your hearing ability. A size that is too big may irritate your ears. If you think that the ear tips of your stethoscope ear tips are not comfortable then you need to buy a new ear tip. Even for better comfort you can invest your money in a high-end brand like Littmann.