Stethoscopes no longer cold

Has anyone noticed how stethoscopes used in real medical settings are no longer cold when first placed on your skin? I'm sure this is something that most people look upon as a "good" thing, but for stethphiles like us, it's a bummer! I need to replace my old ones that are falling apart but I don't know where to get a "cold" one!

Hahaha. I also love that cold sensation on my skin. Sadly I know very little about stethoscopes, but I did notice that the one that came with my new blood pressure cuff wasn't cold. However, I blame this on the fact that it's probably worth about $3.

My guess is they are using some type of plastic instead of metal. I have noticed that they are no longer cold though. It sucks.

Stethoscopes like littman for instance have one thing called "patient confort ring" which consists basically in a rubber ring around the diaphragm. As litmman is a reference brand many other steths tend to follow that. If you try the good old sprague (much more unexpensive by the way) you'll be able to feel that cold touch you enjoy so much...

The doctors and manufactures are trying to make it more confertable for the patients. But, how you could do it, if you cold is put it in the refigerator or freezer before you play. Also you can have a cold cup of ice water right next to you to keep it cold.

I'm not sure what's being done today to prevent it, but as a kid, if there was anything that really stood out to me about doctors' visits, it was that the stethoscope was sure to feel ice-cold on my chest when the doctor applied it. It was simply part of the whole experience as much as getting a shot in the butt was.

I also miss the cold stethoscopes, so the idea of some ice water nearby for the play Doctor to dip it into is a great idea! Thanks for the nice tip.

Lady Teddy

Wouldn't you risk ruining it by dipping it into ice water? I would worry about that.

Thanks for the tip about the Sprague, Amaral. I'm looking for a new stethoscope, but haven't yet found a place that will ship without saying what it is on customs forms - can't blame them for that, though.

Bbw4docgo to e-bay you'll find a great diversity with cheaper prices and for my experience e-bay sellers don't use to write thr description of the object ( i recently bought some vaginal speculuns and it came from america to portugal in a box with the description "tools").

Ah, so it's not just my imagination.

Darn. I like my icy stethoscope.

Yeah, most companies are using rubber (which doesn't really conduct cold temperatures like metal) on the chestpieces of steths. The cold feeling is nice though - gotta admit.

Doctor's hands seem to be getting warmer too. It's a slippery slope... 😉

I know I love cold stethoscopes :'(

The cold stethoscope is long gone, unfortunately. I miss my goosebumps.

I'm saving my money so that someday I can get a self-chilling one 😄

Doc

There are nowadays not many doctors anymore who use cold ones anymore unfortunately😢 but for my own play i have got 2 spragues😃and i always love it when my gf uses it on me 😄

I still have a love of cold steths but now to their use becoming so common am coming round to the idea of Littmans; however a sprague for me everytime 😃

[quote author=patthedrummer link=topic=28430.msg280809#msg280809 date=1268094704]

Yeah, most companies are using rubber (which doesn't really conduct cold temperatures like metal) on the chestpieces of steths. The cold feeling is nice though - gotta admit.

[/quote]

You could always try the fridge!

I also miss the cold stethoscopes...

For me the cold stethoscopes make me feel a little bit uncorfortable during the examination and i don't like them so much.the feeling of a littmann i believe is so much better.but i know many people who prefer the cold one...

I didn't realise I missed it until you brought it to my attention but I do now 😃

I've never actually cared about the temperature of the stethoscope.

I've noticed that too, which is really disappointing. I so love it when the doctor puts the cold stethoscope on you for the first time.......I'll never get rid of my old steth for just that reason

I agree...

PS: Ben, I got your message. I can't reply yet because I don't have enough member points but I enjoyed hearing from you.

Welch Allen DRX has no "non chill ring"

Last one i had on me was cold

As a stethophile, I PREFER the non-chill rim. For me the excitement of auscultation is much richer to experience when my senses are eased into things instead of being shocked by the cold.

I personally prefer the feel of a cold stethoscope on my chest. I have a couple of older stethoscopes in my collection which I use on play-partners if they too like the cold feeling.

It has to be cold for me as well. Nothing beats the feel of the cold metal on your skin, especially if you've been shirtless for sometime and your chest is already cold.

Hmm I go either way, dont mind warm or cold,