Stethoscope Articles/Papers

These are articles and papers about amplified/digital stethoscopes we have come across.

Have another one to share? Please email it to admin@amphl.org

Technical Considerations in Using Stethoscopes

There are quite a few non-amplified and amplified stethoscopes available on the market these days. Unfortunately, it is difficult to make comparisons between and among them, primarily because the manufacturers themselves are often unwilling to provide information about the frequency response of their products and there are no standards regarding the measurement of these devices…


Seeing the Sounds: How to Use Visual Stethoscopes

There is a lot of interest in visual stethoscopes among our community of Deaf and hard of hearing medical professionals/students and with good reason. It allows us to have something visual to support what we are hearing if using the earpieces or to have something that allows us to auscultate without needing to hear at all…


Acoustics of Electronic Stethoscopes for Health Professionals

Commercially available electronic stethoscopes for auscultation often report amplification levels and may or may not publish amplitude–frequency (spectral) response curves. Additional data may be helpful to consumers who use stethoscopes in less-than-ideal listening environments or have hearing loss…


Frequency Responses of Conventional and Amplified Stethoscopes for Measuring Heart Sounds

Frequencies of normal and abnormal heart sounds have previously been reported, but the acoustic analyses of the frequency responses of conventional and amplified stethoscopes for different heart sounds have not yet been reported.


Stethoscope with digital frequency translation for improved audibility

The performance of an acoustic stethoscope is improved by translating, without loss of fidelity, heart sounds, chest sounds, and intestinal sounds below 50 Hz into a frequency range of 200 Hz, which is easily detectable by the human ear. Such a frequency translation will be of significant benefit to hearing impaired physicians and it will improve the stethoscope performance in a noisy environment.


Don’t Miss a Beat: Accessible Stethoscope Options for Deaf Healthcare Students

For Deaf students entering healthcare fields, they often encounter a common question: How will I use a stethoscope? It’s a valid concern—and one that many academic institutions may not know much about navigating this concern. The good news is that there are amplified and digital stethoscopes; however, selecting the right device isn’t straightforward.