Table of Contents
Overview of Stethoscope Anatomy
The stethoscope is an acoustic medical instrument that listens to the sounds of a human and animal body. Any healthcare professional places a headset or chest piece of the stethoscope against the patient’s body normally, chest, stomach, or back. This chest piece picks up the sound from that organ and transfers it from the tubing to the earpiece of the stethoscope. So, healthcare professionals hear that sound clearly, detect the symptoms of the patient, and treat it accordingly. Different parts of the stethoscope make it very sensitive to hearing sound clearly. These stethoscope parts are made with high precision and have very good materials.
Parts of Stethoscope Diagram
Following are the 8 parts of the stethoscope.
Parts of a Stethoscope Labeled
- Chest Piece
- Diaphragm
- Bell
- Tubing
- Stem
- Headset
- Ear tubes
- Ear tips
Stethoscope Parts and Functions
Chest Piece
The chest piece is also called the head of the stethoscope. It is a combination of the diaphragm, bell, and stem. It is responsible for generating sound waves from vibrations in the body & transferring sound waves to the ear.
To detect the vibrations, a chest piece is pressed on the patient’s back, chest, and stomach. Some special stethoscopes can also work effectively against clothing or bandages.
Usually, a stethoscope comes with one side and two side chest pieces. One side chest piece has one diaphragm, and some chest piece has a tunable or pressure-sensitive diaphragm that acts as both a bell and diaphragm.
Some two-sided chest pieces have one side diaphragm and one side bell. Its selection depends on the medical condition.
Diaphragm
The diaphragm is round and circular in cross-section. Its large and round section allows the medical professional to hear a wider area of the patient body.
This diaphragm has better sensing sound quality than a bell. Generally, this diaphragm is made up of steel and directly touches the body. So, there is a chance of chill or coldness.
To overcome this effect, some stethoscopes come with the feature of no chill. This diaphragm allows the patient to be touched without any discomfort.
Bell
The circular section of the chest piece opposite the diaphragm is called a bell. It has a smaller diameter than the diaphragm. Bell is responsible for detecting low-frequency sounds only.
It is useful to detect the sound of skinny patients. Bell has a non-chill ring, which gives more comfort to the patient when it is placed in a naked area.
Tubing
Tubing is nothing but a soft & flexible line of stethoscopes. It is made of Poly polyvinyl chloride. Its function is to transfer the sound of a heartbeat from the chest piece to the user’s ear.
Generally, a stethoscope comes with a single tube and a double-lumen tube. The double-lumen tube divides into halves inside, which create left and right paths.
So the user can hear that sound efficiently and accurately.
Stem
The stem is part of the stethoscope, which connects the tubing to the chest piece. Generally, the material of the stem is steel. However, it is a joint of two parts.
Its function is to allow the user to switch the diaphragm or bell. It is done by simply rotating the chest piece.
Headset
A headset is a combination of ear tips, ear tubes, tension springs, & lumen tubing. This headset is an important part that ensures the flow of the sound in a very efficient manner without any disturbance in sound quality. This headset forms very comfortably to the user’s ear.
Ear tubes
Ear tubes are the parts of stethoscopes & generally, their material is steel. It connects lumen tubing to the ear tips. Its function is to transfer the sound from the chest piece to the user’s ear.
The quality of sound is mainly dependent upon the quality of the ear tube. It can be accomplished by enhancing the accost design of the stethoscope. The ear tube is divided into left and right channels to achieve better sound quality.
Ear tips
Ear tips are the part of the stethoscope that we insert into our ears. The material of the ear tips is rubber or silicone. These ear tips are connected to an ear tube to transmit sound.
Generally, a stethoscope comes with 3-4 different types of ear tips. The choice of correct ear tips is responsible for greater sound accuracy.
Conclusion
Today’s new and advanced technology is making various innovative tools and gadgets to make human life easier. The same is true with stethoscopes. Every doctor in the world is wearing a stethoscope. It’s an identity for them. The first process of medical checkups starts with the heart-beat check with a stethoscope.
So, all the parts of the stethoscope are made with quality material to achieve better results.