The stethoscope: celebration or cremation after 200 years?

E E Van Der Wall

doi:10.1007/s12471-016-0826-6

Abstract

The stethoscope: celebration or cremation after 200 years?

Highlights

At the moment, there are many divergent views on the value of using the stethoscope as a primary diagnostic tool for clinical investigation [1,2,3]
Laennec introduced a cylindrical device, open at each end, to auscultate the thorax. He called his instrument a stethoscope, whose name is derived from the Greek words stethos, i. e. chest, and skopeo i. e. to look at
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a stethoscope that can faithfully reproduce those sounds on a cell phone application thousands of miles away or send them directly to an electronic medical record

Summary

Introduction

There are many divergent views on the value of using the stethoscope as a primary diagnostic tool for clinical investigation [1,2,3]. Since its introduction in 1816, the stethoscope has been an indispensable bedside approach for listening to heart sounds.

Results

Conclusion