The stethoscope was invented in 1816 by Rene Laennec in France. He came up with the idea after feeling uncomfortable placing his ear directly on a female patient's chest. He rolled up some paper to form a cone and discovered it amplified the heart sounds. Today, the stethoscope remains one of the most important tools for nurses and doctors. It allows them to assess patients' heart, lung, bowel, and blood flow sounds which provides vital health information.

1. A stethoscope is a medical
device that is used to listen to
the internal heart beat sounds
of a human and/or animal. The
action of using a stethoscope is
known as auscultation.
What
Procedure
How
Rene Laennec found 24 sheets of
paper and shaped them into a cone.
He then place it on his patients chest
and realized that her heart sound
had been amplified, thus the
invention of the stethoscope.
Media Its Value Today
• The stethoscope is one of the most used
instruments in the nursing practice. The
stethoscope is what most people think of when
they think of nursing! Using a stethoscope, the
listener can hear normal and abnormal
respiratory, cardiac, pleural, arterial, venous,
uterine, fetal and intestinal sounds. With the
stethoscope, even today, nurses are able to
assess a patient’s blood pressure, lung
sounds, heart sounds, bowel sounds, and can
detect bruits. Listening to the sounds of the
chest help nurses identify if a patient has heart
problems such as high blood pressure, heart
gallops, heart murmurs, and heart clicks.
Stethoscopes have decreased the mortality
rate significantly and continue to save lives…
just listen!
Place the ear tips in
your ears and twist
them until they
slightly pull forward.
By doing so, the
sounds in the room
will be very faint.
Hold the chest piece
between the distal part of
your index and middle finger
on you dominant hand. This
grip is better than using your
fingertips around the edge of
the diaphragm/bell because
it allows you to press against
the patient without your
fingers rubbing it and
creating extra noise.
Gently place
the diaphragm
directly
against the
skin rather
than clothing.
The stethoscope can
be used to measure
blood pressure, assess
lung sounds, assess
heart sounds, assess
bowel sounds, and
detecting bruits
(abnormal whooshing
sound of blood through
an artery).
Works Cited
• 3M™ Littmann® Stethoscopes: 3M US. (n.d.). Retrieved January 16, 2015, from http://www.littmann.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/
3M-Littmann/stethoscope/stethoscope-catalog/catalog/~/3M-Littmann-Select-Stethoscope-
Ocean-Blue-Tube-28-inch-2306?N=5932256 4294958447&rt=d
• Henderson, R. (2012, January 1). Stethoscopes - what the doctor listens for. Retrieved January 14, 2015, from http://
www.sixpartswater.org/knowledge-centre/health guides/stethoscopes-what-doctor-
listens
• History of the Stethoscope. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14, 2015, from http://adctoday.com/learning-center/about-stethoscopes/
history-stethoscope
• THE MONAURAL STETHOSCOPE. (n.d.). Retrieved January 16, 2015, from http://www.antiquemed.com/
monaural_stethoscope.htm
• M., P. (2012, November 4). Tools of the Trade: The Stethoscope and How To Use It. Retrieved January 14, 2015, from http://
www.mypatraining.com/stethoscope-and-how-to-use-it
• How to Use a Stethoscope. (2015, January 1). Retrieved January 14, 2015, from http://www.wikihow.com/Use-a-Stethoscope
• Surgery. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14, 2015, from http://www.surgeryencyclopedia.com/St-Wr/Stethoscope.html
• Vector - Medical and health care seamless pattern. (n.d.). Retrieved January 16, 2015, from http://www.canstockphoto.com/
medical-and-health-care-seamless-pattern-14743328.html
• Virtual Museum EMS History. (2007, May 12). Retrieved January 16, 2015, from http://www.emsmuseum.org/virtual-museum/
by_era/articles/398118-1816-The-Stethoscope
• What is a Stethoscope and How is it Used. (2013, December 3). Retrieved January 14, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=J8E6SrRhBSs
• Rene Laennec, a French physician,
invented the stethoscope in 1816.
Who, Where, and When
He invented it after
he felt
uncomfortable
having to put his ear to a young women’s
chest as a method of auscultation. It was
invented in France as a wooden tube.
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