Stethoscope

A stethoscope is a instrument used by doctors and other medical people. It is used to measure peoples heartbeat and their breathing. It is placed on the area where the heart is or on the back.

A 3M-Littmann Students Stethoscope

The modern stethoscope is made up of a Y-shaped flexible plastic tube. An earpiece is attached to each end of the Y and a sound-detecting device at the other end. The sound-detecting device has a thin plastic sheet on one side and a bell shape with a hole in on the other. The diaphragm is used to listen to a patient's chest for high-pitched sounds. The bell end is used to detect lower-pitched sounds. The lung sounds have a higher frequency than heart sounds.

Stethoscope similar to Laennec's

Rene Theophile Hyacinthe Laënnec (1781-1826) was a French physician who, in 1816, invented the stethoscope. Using this new instrument, he investigated the sounds made by the heart and lungs and determined that his diagnoses were supported by the observations made during autopsies.

In 2023 Artificial Intelligence stethoscopes, designed by Mayo Clinic spin-off Eko, were introduced. They can detect three types of heart disease in 15 seconds, detecting about 85% of treatable heart failure in patients. A blood test is still needed for confirmation.