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Comparison of Auscultation Quality Using Contemporary Digital Stethoscopes
Norah Saraya;
Jonathon McBride;
Karandeep Singh;
Omar Sohail;
Porag Jeet Das
ABSTRACT
While echocardiography is the gold-standard for diagnosing valvular heart disease (VHD), digital stethoscopes have emerged as a cost-effective alternative. However, recent work has raised concerns that absent heart sounds, especially in obese patients, may limit their potential. We compared two contemporary digital stethoscopes, the Eko DUO and 3M Littmann CORE, in their ability to assess VHD using both real-time bedside and recorded sounds. As compared to the Eko DUO stethoscope, the 3M Littmann CORE stethoscope performed worse in the ability to hear S1 (odds ratio [OR] 0.56, p = 0.035) and appreciate murmurs (OR 0.32, p < 0.001). This suggests that the efficacy of digital auscultation in detecting VHD may vary based on the choice of digital stethoscope, even if the exam is conducted by the same operator.
Citation
Please cite as:
Saraya N, McBride J, Singh K, Sohail O, Das PJ
Comparison of Auscultation Quality Using Contemporary Digital Stethoscopes