3M Littmann CORE Digital Stethoscope, HP Copper, 8870

Littmann CORE stethoscope review Overall excellent. Littmann quality. The noise-cancelling features are a definite improvement over their older model 3200 stethoscope, although still have plenty of room for improvement (see below). I have been using this stethoscope in the hospital setting for a few weeks. My overall impression of the stethoscope is overall very positive. I took off one star for the battery issue I describe below. If I could have taken a half-star off for the noise canceling, I would have done so. I could find no reviews that contained most of the following information, so decided to post this information. It appears that the digital module can be removed, which turns this stethoscope into a normal Cardiology IV. You can purchase the module separately and transform any existing single-lumen stethoscope (doesn’t work with dual lumen) into an EKO digital stethoscope, which gives ALL the digital functionality of this stethoscope to any stethoscope you wish. A few concerns I noted are as follows: 1. The biggest negative to me is that the battery is rechargable, but not replaceable. I see this as an almost unforgivable design as it will require you to replace the module every so often. In a device like a stethoscope that can be used for decades, this is essentially planned obsolescence. I had a very difficult time trying to find this information online, and ultimately had to ask the manufacturer. If the battery fails outside the 2-year warranty, you will have to buy a replacement digital module, which is the broad part with the button near the chestpiece of the stethoscope. This part is the “CORE Digital Stethoscope Attachment, #8481”. At the time of this writing, it retails for $289 and has a street price of around $220. If the battery life becomes obnoxiously short but doesn’t outright fail within the 2-year warranty, I’m uncertain whether it would be replaced under the warranty terms, but I would hope so. This undesirable design appears to be intentional to force an ongoing income stream, effectively making owning the stethoscope similar to a subscription. If you have to replace this module every 5 years, that’s more than $50/year you are paying just to be able to use the stethoscope you purchased. This is my single biggest gripe, and something I think everyone should consider before purchasing this stethoscope. I subtracted a star for this issue. 2. The active noise cancellation is definitely better than with the Littmann 3200, but hasn’t come along nearly as far as other devices. The 3200 was released in 2011. I purchased one, but ended up going back to my trusty Cardiology III because the noise cancelation on the 3200 was bad enough that I felt the sound amplification wasn’t worth it; it amplified ambient sounds which were too much of a distraction. With the Littmann Core Digital Stethoscope, noise cancelation has improved. The demos on EKOHealth sounds miraculous (where busy ER noises completely disappear and only pure heart tones remain). Unfortunately, I have heard nothing even remotely approaching the demo quality from this stethoscope. Those demos may represent “artist conception.” Ambient sounds still bleed through and get amplified. These sounds still make it a little difficult for me to focus on the sounds I’m trying to hear. It’s disappointing that this technology hasn’t made further progress. Maybe Littmann and Eko were loathe to spend much money on an electronic module clearly designed to be disposable. 3. The EKO software has its quirks. I haven’t used it a large amount so far. Getting the stethoscope to pair was a bit fiddly. On mine, the automatic first time paring failed. I then went into my iPhone and manually went into the Bluetooth menu (to enable pairing), then went into the EKO software that there was an item in the menu to initiate pairing, which worked. That wasn’t too bad. Where I became downright frustrated initially was when I then pressed the Spot Check button, which then displayed a full-screw photo of a chest, instructing me to hold the chestpiece to the “LUSB” with a promise that “Recording will begin when the CORE detects a signal.” Nothing I did cause it to “detect a signal.” I spent some time online looking for a solution without finding one. It turns out that until you register with Eko, it simply does nothing. There are no warnings, errors, or suggestions. It. simply. does. not. work. It’s surprising that they don’t put a simple message here letting the user know this requirement. 4. The charging port is a older micro-USB. I would have liked to see a more modern connector, such as USB-C, since there is a strong push toward standardization of that connector. This is only a slight gripe. 5. I work in the VA system and wear my name badge using a standard VA lanyard. I noticed no issue at all with my Littmann Master Cardiology (which still serves me well even though purchased in 1997), but with this new stethoscope, material from the print on the lanyard transfers to the tubing. This makes the tubing look dirty. I can clean it fairly easily with a little soap and water. I suspect this will stop occurring with a little time. If not, this would be annoying, but could probably be remedied by simply purchasing a different lanyard. 6. The stethoscope is slightly heavier than expected, and is mildly uncomfortable around the back of the neck when carrying it. After a few days, I stopped noticing this issue as much. This is only a very slight gripe. 7. The overall tubing length with the digital module in place is a bit longer than that of my Master Cardiology. I find that if I balance the stethoscope around the back of my neck, the chestpiece now makes contact with items in the pocket of my scrubs top, such as a phone or pen. This is also only a slight gripe. Conclusion: While the lack of a replaceable lithium battery bothered me, I decided to go ahead with the purchase trusting that this battery would last many years before the charge it could hold became too short to be practical. I hope it doesn’t disappoint me. So far, I am delighted with this stethoscope. The noise canceling has been improved over the 2011 Littmann 3200, but does still bring through ambient room noise. Overall, the stethoscope feels like Littmann quality.

I’m a veterinary cardiologist assistant and got this stethoscope so I don’t have to share with the other techs and because my dog has cardiac problems and I wanted to keep an eye on it. So far the stethoscope has been great. I can hear well and I love using the app with it to record. Sometimes it can pick up on a lot of outside noise though and you have to hold it very still but overall it is a nice stethoscope.