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A stethoscope with a black tube sitting on a table beside a laptop and pen.

Learning is easy with the right stethoscope.

Learn how to properly use your 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscope and understand more about auscultation.

Learn how to listen

Choose a high-quality stethoscope to help you learn how to listen.

Learning how to use a stethoscope is essential for your ability to assess and monitor or diagnose your patients effectively — and it takes a lot of practice. Start with a stethoscope for learning that has a professional level of acoustics that will help you from the start and will perform for years to come.

Need help deciding which one is right for you? Consider one of the following below:

  • A side view of the bell of a 3M™ Littmann® Classic III™ Stethoscope.

    3M™ Littmann® Classic III™ Stethoscope

    • Ideal for nursing students
    • Useful in non-critical care environments such as a medical office, general care unit, OB/GYN, ambulatory clinic or urgent care
    • Monitor and assess a wide range of patients
    • Detect normal and abnormal sounds and rhythms
    • Comes with a 5-year warranty*
  • A side view of the bell of a 3M™ Littmann® Cardiology IV™ Stethoscope.

    3M™ Littmann® Cardiology IV™ Stethoscope

    • Ideal for medical students
    • Useful in critical care and challenging environments such as the emergency department, intensive care unit, cardiac intensive care unit, step-down unit and other dynamic locations
    • Hear subtle changes in patient’s condition
    • Diagnose and make decisions with confidence
    • Comes with a 7-year warranty*

*See the Terms and Conditions

Education

  • Circular cyan icon of a stethoscope with a check mark

    Choose the stethoscope for you

    Using the product selector, find the perfect stethoscope based on the style, colour and finishes that suit you best!

  • Circular cyan icon of a stethoscope and badge leaves

    Learn how to use your stethoscope

    Auscultation is an essential clinical skill worth learning. Get advice for your clinical tool that will serve you for years — plus a look at the anatomy of a stethoscope.

  • Circular cyan icon of a stethoscope and a sound wave

    3M™ Littmann® Learning Institute App

    Take your auscultation training and reference sounds anywhere.

  • Illustration with a gray silhouette of a person wearing a cyan stethoscope.

    Hear the difference.

    An internal 3M test showed that heart sounds heard through the adult diaphragm of a 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscope were more than four times louder (20 dB) than the same sounds heard through a different brand of stethoscope*.

    That's like the difference between whispering and talking. It could be the critical difference between hearing something significant in a patient, or not hearing it at all.

    *3M Data on file

  • Illustration of a stethoscope with kinked tubing next to a stethoscope with straight tubing.

    See the difference.

    Kinks or bends indicate stiff tubing which can pull on eartips and make the stethoscope hard to use. 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscope tubing hangs straight; it flexes easily as you examine a patient

    3M™ Littmann® Stethoscope eartubes are symmetrical for ideal eartip seal and comfort. The headset should be adjustable for individual fit and comfort. The headset tension of all 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscopes is easily adjusted by gently squeezing the eartubes together to increase tension, or pulling them apart to decrease tension.

  • Illustration comparing Littmann® Stethoscope rounded soft eartips to head-edged eartips.

    Feel the difference.

    Run your fingers over the 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscope snap tight eartips. They're smooth to seal comfortably inside your ears without irritation. Now try to pull one off the eartube. The eartips really do snap tight for maximum acoustic performance and safety. Finally, feel the weight. 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscopes are designed to feel light and comfortable when draped around your neck or carried in a pocket.

    Learn more about the advantages of 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscopes.

  • Anatomy of a stethoscope

     

    Click the blue circles on the illustration to find general information along with facts specific to 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscopes

     

    Click the blue circles on the illustration to find general information along with facts specific to 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscopes

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Eartips

Eartips are the parts that fit into your ear. They should fit snugly, sealing out ambient noise and helping you to focus on auscultation. All 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscopes are fitted with snap-tight, soft-sealing eartips.

Headset

The headset is made up of two eartubes, the yoke and the eartips. 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscope headsets can be adjusted to ensure a proper fit into your ear canals by squeezing or pulling apart the eartubes.

Eartube

Sound travels from the chestpiece through flexible tubing and then through the metal eartubes. 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscope eartubes are made of an aerospace aluminum alloy that provides both strength and lighter weight.

Eartube

Sound travels from the chestpiece through flexible tubing and then through the metal eartubes. 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscope eartubes are made of an aerospace aluminum alloy that provides both strength and lighter weight.

Tubing

Tubing provides the path for sound. 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscopes feature improved resistance to skin oils and alcohol for longer tubing life

Chestpiece

The chestpiece is placed on the patient to capture sounds. Some 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscope models have a one-sided chestpiece with a tunable diaphragm. Others have a two-sided chestpiece with a diaphragm on one side and a bell on the other.

Dual-lumen tubing

3M™ Littmann® Cardiology Stethoscopes have dual-lumen tubing: two sound paths inside one outer tube which helps eliminate the rubbing noise generated by traditional twin-tubed stethoscopes.

Stem

The stem connects the stethoscope tubing to the chestpiece. On 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscopes with two-sided chestpieces, the stem is used to index, or open, the side of the chestpiece that you wish to use.

Tunable diaphragm

A tunable diaphragm is a 3M invention that lets you easily switch between hearing high- and low-frequency sounds simply by adjusting the pressure on the chestpiece.

A close up of a chest piece on a burgandy 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscope
Tunable diaphragm

A tunable diaphragm is a 3M invention that lets you easily switch between hearing high- and low-frequency sounds simply by adjusting the pressure on the chestpiece.

Warranties and repairs

Most parts of a 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscope can be replaced while it is still under warranty. After the warranty has expired we offer affordable repairs that include replacing the tubing eartubes, diaphragm, rim, nonchill sleeves and eartips. It is recommended that the 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscope chestpiece is replaced after ten years of use.

Learn more about warranty and repairs for your stethoscope

While we're showing a 3M™ Littmann® Cardiology III™ Stethoscope in these examples, please note that all current Littmann® Stethoscopes (with the exception of electronic models) have similar components.

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Circular cyan icon of a stethoscope and badge leaves

Learn how to listen

Ascultation is a clinical skill worth learning. The ability to accurately identify various heart, lung, and bowel sounds can help you quickly and efficiently assess patients and monitor their condition. The following conditions and equipment will help you perform a proper auscultation:
 

  • • A quiet, well-lit, warm room
  • • An appropriately disrobed patient. This allows you to place the stethoscope directly on the chest or back and will eliminate distortions and frictional noise from clothing.
  • • The ability to examine the patient supine, sitting, and in left lateral recumbent positions. You may hear different sounds, especially abnormal ones, in different positions.
  • • A stethoscope with both a bell and diaphragm (or the capacity to act as a bell and diaphragm) is essential.

Learn more auscultation skills.

 

The 3M™ Littmann® Learning Institute App is packed with auscultation training resources that help sharpen your ability to hear.

Get details and download the app now.

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Circular cyan icon of a stethoscope and a sound wave

3M™ Littmann® Learning Institute App

  • An iphone 6 with the 3M™ Health Care Academy application open

    Education at your finger tips

    Get exclusive training content on your mobile device that will hep you improve your auscultation skills and use your stethescope more effectively. The 3M™ Littmann® Learning Institute App includes self-paced lessons with heart and lung sounds, patient scenarios to help improve your diagnostic thinking, self-tests to track your progress, a sound library, and more.

    1. Find the 3M™ Littmann® Learning Institute App
    2. Download the app to your mobile device.
    3. Enter the serial number, found on your 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscope chestpiece, or voucher code to unlock unique educational content.

    Download on the App Store      Get it on Google Play

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3M™ Littmann® Stethoscopes

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3M, Littmann, the L Littmann logo, L, Master Cardiology, Cardiology IV, Master Classic II, Classic III, and the shape of the stethoscope chestpiece are trademarks of 3M.

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