Acoustic stethoscope
Although stethoscopes have remained relatively unchanged in design over the past 200 years, there have been advances in quality. Most notable has been the advent of the digital or electronic stethoscope, which has both advantages and disadvantages vs. the older acoustic model.
Function
Both types of stethoscopes allow the medical professional to listen to the hearts, lungs and abdomens of patients to determine if certain medical conditions exist, such as lung congestion or irregular heartbeats.
Age
Acoustic stethoscopes maintain their popularity and trust among doctors due to their longstanding use in the medical profession. Although it is taking digital stethoscopes time to catch up, they are rapidly gaining in popularity.
Sound Quality
Acoustic stethoscopes can't compete with the magnified sound quality that newer, digital stethoscopes provide, which leads to even better identification of conditions.
Batteries
A huge downside to digital stethoscopes is their need for batteries. Since battery replacement can be tedious as well as untimely, not having a battery is an advantage to using acoustic stethoscopes.
Interference
Digital stethoscopes are known to be affected by electrical interference from nearby items, such as cell phones.
Recording
Digital stethoscopes have an important advantage over acoustic. Many of the more expensive digital types allow medical professionals to record and playback sounds.
Tags: digital stethoscopes, Acoustic stethoscopes, allow medical, stethoscopes have
