Where is Your Stethoscope Leaking ?

A simple rubber hose can act as stethoscope leak tester. This combined with a very sophisticated instrument, your ears, can quickly tell you if your stethoscope is one of the 45% of stethoscopes that fail allowing heart and lung sound energy to leak out and allow room noise to leak in.

Test Your Stethoscope Every 60 Days, It Really Needs It.

IT MAY NOT BE ALL YOUR FAULT YOUR STETHOSCOPE SKILLS ARE NOT THAT GOOD 

Setup for Stethoscope Leak Tester:

Turn your stethoscope to the bell position and put it on. Be sure the ear tips fit securely in your ear canals. Put energy-leak test tube in your mouth and blow gently into the hole of the bell as pictured. This gives you an experience of what a significant energy leak will sound like. Now move the energy-leak test tube and gently blow across the back of your hand for another experience of a slight leak.

Discovering how much energy is lost  is  very  significant to your ability to perceive heart and lung sounds. You may hear some sounds, making you think you are hearing them all even when you are not. Room noise comes in through these same leaks, masking critical heart and lung sounds.

Turn the swivel to the diaphragm position for the test.

#1. Ear Tips to Ear Canal Interface Leak Test 

While gently blowing through the leak tester, move it around each ear interface. If leaking:

a. Take stethoscope off and tighten ear tips.

b. Snuggle the ears tips better into the ear canal.

c. Try adjusting the metal so that the ear tips align better to your ear canal.

d. Try a different size ear tip.

# 2.  Hose Interface with Metal Leak Test 

While blowing through the leak tester, move it completely around the interface of metal to hose on both sides. If leaking pull hose away from the metal and try some type of sealant.

# 3.  Hose Interface at Swivel Stem Leak Test

Move leak tester completely around the hose interface with the swivel stem. If leaking: slide hose off a little and try some sealant.

# 4.  Bell to Diaphragm Swivel Leak Test

Move leak tester completely around the swivel joint. If leaking you can buy a kit for some stethoscopes; for others, you will have to send it back to the factory. (Sorry about that)

#5. Diaphragm Ring Leak Test

Move leak tester around the ring. You will hear some sounds because of the diaphragm’s natural resonance. If leaking:

a. Tighten ring holding diaphragm.

b. Buy new diaphragm.

If all else fails, “ bless its little heart,”   it  worked hard  for you,  now hang the poor thing  in an honored place and buy a new one. Be sure to check it too. Now that you have a working stethoscope see  programs  for auscultation training.