Doctors may be familiar with the difference between a double-headed and a single-headed stethoscope. When searching for images on different search engines, people cannot see the total discrepancy between one and the other. Don’t worry because this article will have a general breakdown of the difference of the two teams and how each of them works to help the doctor in his work.
Well physically, a double-headed stethoscope has that back-to-back chest piece, while a single-headed one only has one head and has a nervous but not sharp “ spine ” on the other side.
Doctors opt for double head equipment as it is so versatile. The bigger side is the aperture mode. It is used by the doctor to measure heart sounds that have high frequencies, ideal for listening to irregularities in the heartbeat. The smallest part is what we call bell mode, which measures lung sounds that have low frequencies. This is great for listening for irregularities in breathing. The doctor turns their heads to hear a particular body sound. Examples of these include the Littman stethoscope, the MDF stethoscope, and the pediatric stethoscope.
The single head counterpart is designed to monitor heart sounds. The cardiology stethoscope is an example of this. Although not as versatile as its dual head equivalent, the single head rig has a wider frequency range, not to mention clearer sounding.
Depending on the doctor’s medical field of study, you can go for the Littman stethoscope, pediatric stethoscope, or even MDF stethoscope if you have more to look at. Meanwhile, having a cardiology stethoscope is ideal if the doctor wants to focus on only one area.