A stethoscope is used for listening to sounds within the body such as the heart, lungs, intestinal tract, chest, and also for checking blood pressure along with a blood pressure monitor.
There are two sides to a stethoscope to listen to different pitches of sounds.
The side of stethoscope you use depends on what you're using the stethoscope to detect.
For example if you're listening to higher pitched sounds such as breathing and normal heart sounds then you use the diaphragm side of the stethoscope.
If you're listening for lower pitched sounds such as bowel sounds and heart murmurs then you use the bell side which is good for detecting lower pitch sounds.
The difference between the bell and the diaphragm of a stethoscope is in the shape of the ends and the sound frequencies they are used to listen too.
The bell of the stethoscope is used to listen to low frequency sounds while the diaphragm of the stethoscope is used to listen to higher frequency sounds.
The diaphragm part of the stethoscope is the circular end of the chest piece of the stethoscope and is used for listening to higher frequency sounds.
On two-sided chest pieces of the stethoscope, the diaphragm is the larger of the two ends. Its larger size allows the user to listen to a bigger area of the patient's body.
The diaphragm is designed to pick up sounds with higher frequencies compared to the bell.
Using the bell part of the stethoscope is better for taking blood pressure with.
The bell side of the stethoscope is better for blood pressure.
The bell of the stethoscope is suggested because it is used for low-pitched sounds like blood pressure.
To check if your heart is healthy you can use a stethoscope and also have your heart rate checked.
Your heart rate should normally range between 60 to 100 beats per minute, although many doctors prefer their patients to be in the 50 to 70-beat range.
If you train regularly, your per-minute heart rate may be as low as 40, which typically indicates excellent physical condition.
A heartbeat should sound like a lub and a dup sound.
A normal heartbeat has two sounds, a lub (sometimes called S1) and a dub (S2).
These sounds are caused by the closing of valves inside your heart.
If there are problems in your heart, there may be additional or abnormal sounds.
Normally, two distinct sounds are heard through the stethoscope: a low, slightly prolonged “lub” (first sound) occurring at the beginning of ventricular contraction, or systole, and produced by closure of the mitral and tricuspid valves, and a sharper, higher-pitched “dup” (second sound).
When listening for heart sounds you use the bell of the stethoscope.
The bell of the stethoscope is used for listening to low frequency sounds while the diaphragm of the stethoscope is used for listening to higher frequency sounds.
The bell is best for detecting lower pitch sounds, like some heart murmurs, and some bowel sounds.
It is used for the detection of bruits, and for heart sounds (for a cardiac exam, you should listen with the diaphragm, and repeat with the bell).
The reason a stethoscope has two different sides for listening is one side of the stethoscope is used to listen to low frequency sounds and the other side of the stethoscope is used to listen to high frequency sounds.
The bell end of the stethoscope is the end of the stethoscope that is used to listen to low frequency sounds.
The other side of the stethoscope which is the diaphragm is used to listen higher frequency sounds.
Most times doctors use the larger part of the stethoscope to listen to your stomach and heart and the smaller side of the stethoscope to listen to your wrist and pulse when taking your blood pressure.
So one side of the stethoscope lets you listen to higher frequency sounds such as the heart and the other side lets you listen to lower frequency sounds such as your pulse.