How to Use the Littmann 3000 Stethoscope

A stethoscope is an instrument that medical professionals use to hear internal sounds from the chest and other parts of the body. According to 3M, the Littmann 3000 electronic stethoscope cancels out, on average, 85 percent of ambient background noise that can interfere with listening to internal body sounds, without eliminating critical body sounds. This makes heart, lung and body sounds easier to hear. With the Littman stethoscope being advanced, it is still easy to understand and operate.

Instructions

• 1

  Insert the battery by holding the chestpiece in place while twisting the battery cap 25 degrees counterclockwise to remove it. Insert the AA battery, with the positive end of it facing outwards and put back the battery cap. Make sure to seal it tight by turning it 25 degrees clockwise. The two marks on the battery compartment and the battery cap should be aligned.

• 2

  Position the headpiece to fit you. The package comes with two sizes of ear tubes. Pick the correct size for you. When putting on the headset, make sure the eartips face in a forward direction. The diaphragm should be facing toward you when the headpiece is positioned correctly.

• 3

  Adjust the headset for comfortable use. Spring tension can either be increased or reduced. To increase spring tension, grab the portion where the plastic tubing meets the metal ear tubes and squeeze until the plastic tubing of each side touches each other. To reduce spring tension, pull the metal ear tubes apart up to 180 degrees or until it is fully extended.

• 4

  Turn on the instrument by pressing the "Power" button for about two seconds until the LCD is activated.

• 5

  Select filters by pressing the "Filter" button located on the left side of the controller. The stethoscope comes with two frequency settings -- "Bell" (low) and "Diaphragm" (high) settings. It is by default set to the "Diaphragm" and the current setting is displayed on the LCD.

• 6

  Adjust the sound amplification to the level of your choice. There are nine sound levels, and the stethoscope is set to level 3 by default. Volume can be adjusted by pressing (+) or (-) buttons. The current level is displayed by a volume icon on the LCD.

• 7

  Monitor the patient's heart rate. The heart rate reading is displayed on the LCD. The display will show two dashes (--) before the initial reading or if the reading doesn't fall between 30 and 199 beats per minutes (bpm).

• 8

  Check the battery life. A battery icon is displayed on the LCD that shows its current battery life.

• 9

  Customize settings by pressing the "M" button to go to the Menu. The (+) and (-) buttons are used to scroll up and down the selections. The filter button acts as a "Back" or escape button to return to the previous selection or to return to the normal stethoscope mode.

• 10

  Turn off the stethoscope after use. Press the power button for about two seconds until the LCD display turns off.