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A quick tune-up: Five steps to make the most of your 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscope.

Male doctor in a blue dress shirt putting on a Littmann Cardiology IV Diagnostic Stethoscope.

Your 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscope is the stethoscope you know and love. Whether you’ve had your stethoscope forever or are new to the Littmann family, you likely feel confident in how you handle your trusted tool. But there are some simple steps you can take to ensure the performance and wearability of your Littmann Stethoscope – and we want to make sure you get in on all the great benefits. Who doesn’t love a good tune-up?

# 1: Align the headset

Before placing the eartips in your ears, make sure they point forward, away from you. Holding the headset in front of you with one ear tube in each hand, pull the headset open and place the eartips into your ears.

#2: If the fit isn’t comfortable, or acoustic performance is lacking:

  • Adjust the headset tension. Gently squeeze the eartubes together to increase headset tension; pull them apart to decrease tension.
  • Use the right ear tip size. For optimal acoustic performance, use the ear tip size that best fits your ear.

#3: Rotate to the correct side

When using a double-sided Littmann stethoscope, you need to open (or index) the side you want to use—bell or diaphragm—by rotating the chestpiece. If the diaphragm is open, the bell will be closed, preventing sound from coming in through the bell, and vice versa.

#4: Remove potential obstructions

Lint or dirt may obstruct the sound pathway. Be sure to give your stethoscope routine cleaning and care. If you use a 3M™ Littmann® Cardiology Diagnostic Stethoscope IV™, Classic III™ Stethoscope, or 3M™ Littmann® CORE Digital Stethoscope, keep the open bell free of debris by covering it with the removable diaphragm.

#5: Check the seal

Stethoscopes rely on an airtight seal to transmit body sounds from the patient to the practitioner’s ears. Loose parts in the chestpiece, cracked tubing, or improperly seated eartips can prevent an airtight seal.

And there you have it! Five simple steps to make the most of your stethoscope. Happy listening.

About the Author

[enBio=Sandra Velte is a Technical Applications Specialist at 3M Company with 8 years of experience supporting the 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscope product portfolio. She is passionate about helping customers solve problems and bringing their voice to the Littmann stethoscope laboratory to help 3M continue to develop products that best meet the needs of clinicians and patients.],[enJob=Technical Applications Specialist, Biomedical and Littmann Stethoscopes],[frBio=Sandra Velte est une spécialiste des applications techniques à la Compagnie 3M avec 8 ans d’expérience relative à la gamme de Stéthoscopes Littmann® 3MMC. Elle se passionne pour aider les clients à résoudre les problèmes et à faire entendre leurs voix dans le laboratoire des Stéthoscopes Littmann afin d’aider 3M à concevoir des produits qui répondent de façon optimale aux besoins des cliniciens et des patients.],[frJob=Spécialiste des applications techniques, biomédecine et Stéthoscopes Littmann]

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3MTM Littmann® Cardiology IV Diagnostic Stethoscope