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I was shocked to see that a "brand name" stethoscope is $100+ and even generic ones are $30.
by colinbartlett 7mo ago
I was shocked to see that a "brand name" stethoscope is $100+ and even generic ones are $30.
- unsupp0rted 7mo agoIs that a lot or a little?
- hungryhobbit 7mo agoThis "recipe" produces them for $5 ... that's 5% of the market price.
- mikeyouse 7mo agoAssuming equivalent capabilities and longevity.. I know physicians who have used their "20x too expensive" Littmann for 30 years.
- Agingcoder 7mo agoÀ lot
- donaltroddyn 7mo agoThey can become a lot more expensive than $100, but the difference between a Littman Cardiology and the $15 EMT student stethoscope is night and day. > Currently, the stethoscope resulting from this project functions as well as the market gold standard, the Littmann Cardiology III If this is true, it's a major achievement.
- elAhmo 7mo agoIt is somewhat of a critical tool, so you don't wanna be checked by a doctor who made their own stethoscope or got one for 3 USD on AliExpress.
- recursivegirth 7mo agoOur one that DIY'd one like one would do a dosing rod in their garage.
- DoctorOetker 7mo agoWell-formed sentence one dosed for make benefit understandability not garage DIY'd one? Written on ether?
- NewsaHackO 7mo agoIt’s funny, most physicians agree that the cheap disposable stethoscopes in isolation rooms are the best, mostly because they are so loud it’s difficult miss anything with them. However, I am not a cardiologist so they may have a different opinion.
- classichasclass 7mo agoI've actually found them pretty terrible. I can't hear subtle findings at all with those. My usual stethoscope is an older-model Littman Cardiology III with stiff rubber and a dual pediatric-adult head. I've had it for over 25 years.
- NewsaHackO 7mo agoI guess it's different strokes, because I can definitely hear subtle sounds much easier with them. In fact normal sounds sound like it is going to blow out my ears. The only issue I have is consistency; it's difficult to gauge how much something has changed over time with different stethoscopes, especially pulmonary edema and wheezing.
- zeagle 7mo agoI would really disagree as a physician that's used a lot of random crap stethoscopes when I don't have one or in an iso room. Those disposable ones are different in what they pick up, some findings are louder others not detectable. Sure I can pick up some stuff like rubs and systolic murmurs but you aren't going to get more subtle findings like diastolic murmurs and fine crackles. Probably a combination of certain frequencies responding and also me being used to mine.
- deknos 7mo agoYou probably pay for tests and that the company has to be audited for medical diagnostics standards
- jcims 7mo agoI'm shocked that you're shocked lol. $100 for a somewhat specialized, durable medical device that has to meet regulatory standards and will be used daily, possibly for years, by healthcare providers to do patient assessments? A 3D printed option is going to require a 3D printer, appropriate filament and should be unit tested to ensure it's within spec. The durability is going to be suspect no matter what. It's an awesome project and I'm sure would be a welcome addition to the 'boostrap humanity' catalog of 3D printed parts, but for everyday doctors plunking a hundo on a good tool is going to be a no-brainer.
- nomel 7mo ago> has to meet regulatory standards Genuinely curious, what standards exactly, for a stethoscope?
- filoleg 7mo agoA commercially sold hospital stethoscope is a legally marketed medical device made under a manufacturer quality system, with labeling/instructions, device listing/registration obligations, adverse-event/complaint processes, cleanability expectations, liability, warranty, consistent materials, and repeatable acoustic performance. An open-source 3D-printed stethoscope is a cool project, but unless it is produced and controlled as a medical device, it is not equivalent to what hospitals are buying for daily patient care. Personally, if I was a hospital or a doctor, it would be a no-brainer for me to go with the commercially sold stethoscopes. All those factors I listed above, if neglected, can end up costing a lot more in terms of consequences. I would rather pay a fixed extra overhead price per unit to sleep well, knowing I don't have to worry or think about those factors at all. And, I would assume, most of the patients would be in favor of that as well.
- nomel 7mo agoWhat standard exactly, for a stethoscope? I know nothing of this, but it looks like stethoscopes are Class 1 medical devices with 501(k) exemption, and fall under the "Good manufacturing practices" guidelines of Quality System Regulation (21 CFR 820), but that seems pretty squishy.
- sonofhans 7mo agoYears ago I had my blood pressure taken by a nurse; this was when they did it manually, squeezing the pressure cuff bulb by hand and listening with a stethoscope. The doctor came in later, saw the numbers and frowned, and took my pressure again. She (both were women) ended up with a reading much more within my normal range. I asked, joking, “So are you just better than her?” “No,” my doctor replied, “She’s better. She gets more practice. I have a better stethoscope.”
- Lalabadie 7mo agoThe pressure cuff + stethoscope combo is called a sphygmomanometer. It's a pretty fascinating piece of technology: A heartbeat is only audible in the earpiece when the cuff is compressing between someone's systolic and diastolic pressure. To use it, you get the cuff pressure high enough that you stop hearing a heartbeat in the earpiece. Start releasing pressure slowly. As it comes down, take note of where on the dial you start hearing the heartbeat. That's systolic pressure. Keep listening, and take note of where you stop hearing the heartbeat. That's diastolic pressure. Using one feels kind of magic.
- devilbunny 7mo agoAnd if you use a mercury sphygmomanometer, you can actually see those pulses appear and then disappear. (It's harder to see them with a gauge-based one.)
- boelboel 7mo agoPeople buying stethoscopes tend to be reasonably affluent. Some of the pricier ones just look better and people usually buy them when you get into med school (at least this was the case for me), it's somewhat symbolic so why not splurge.
- matheusmoreira 7mo agoThere does seem to be a difference in quality though. It's much easier to hear the important things with my littman than with the cheap generic stethoscopes I usually find lying around in clinics.
- Lalabadie 7mo agoMy daughter's toy stethoscope has actual tubing, some sort of diaphragm, and that seems to work reasonably well! I'm not surprised good results are available for a few dollars.
- conductr 7mo agoIf it’s your everyday carry used in your profession, just pay for a nice one. It’s really not that much. If someone showed you how to create a functional $30 monitor, you’d still pay more for a nicer commercial one
- projektfu 7mo agoThere are cheap, generic scopes (Sprague-Rappaport types) that are very sensitive but the double tube also causes a lot of noise. There are knock-offs of the Littmann scopes in the market. Then there are the scopes doctors usually buy, which are Littmann, Harvey (made by Welch-Allyn) and Heine, and a few smaller makers. No marketer of a high-quality scope wants to sell it at a $30 or less price point, and if you're going to go higher, might as well place it in the same market as the Littmann ($115+). I'll be honest, for emergency medicine use, the Littmann lightweight scope is good enough and cost about $45 when I bought it. But if I actually want to hear the subtleties in a chest, I'll use my personal scope (a Littmann Cardiology IV). Why choose this one? I already know it and they are very consistent. It doesn't feel cold to the patient and it has the right level of sensitivity without much noise. It is a little heavy. If a dog is bucking around, it can go flying and hurt if it hits someone.
- dzhiurgis 7mo agoHow long do they last? Looks like pretty solid piece of equipment, but are they damaged easily or simply clap out after few years?
- bonsai_spool 7mo ago> How long do they last? Looks like pretty solid piece of equipment, but are they damaged easily or simply clap out after few years? They last forever. Why would they break? This is like asking how long floor speakers last.
- ssl-3 7mo agoSpeakers sometimes die while sitting unused in their original shipping carton in a dry, climate-controlled room. The adhesives can age. Foam surrounds can disintegrate. (Ask a Bose 901 owner about foam rot.) They also can also die from use, and abuse. And finger-poking. And environmental conditions like moisture and UV light. I know enough enough about old speakers to know that lasting forever isn't one of their usual traits. Are stethoscopes really as bad as that?
- 7mo ago
- copperx 7mo agoHow shocked are you, in comparison, that a Claude code subscription is $200/month?
- mythrwy 6mo ago$100? So, like 4 aspirin tablets US hospital billing prices?