Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Corpus Christi Medical Center, Corpus Christi, TX, USA.
Hosp Pract (1995). 2021 Oct;49(4):240-244. doi: 10.1080/21548331.2021.1949170. Epub 2021 Jul 2.
Rene Laennec came up with the idea of a stethoscope in 1816 to avoid the embarrassment of performing immediate auscultation on women. Soon many doctors around the world started using this tool because of its increased accuracy and ease of use. Stethoscopes hold great significance in the medical community. However, is the importance placed on stethoscopes justified today? We now have devices like portable ultrasound machines that make it much easier to visualize the body. These devices offset their higher initial cost by reducing downstream costs due to their greater accuracy and their capability of detecting diseases at an earlier stage. Also, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, new ways are being investigated to reduce the transmission of diseases. Stethoscopes being a possible vector for infectious agents coupled with the advent of newer devices that can visualize the body with greater accuracy put into question the continued use of stethoscopes today. With that said, the use of stethoscopes to diagnose diseases is still crucial in places where buying these new devices is not yet possible. The stethoscope is a great symbol of medicine, but its use needs to be in line with what is best for the patient.
雷奈克于 1816 年发明听诊器，是为了避免在女性身上进行即时听诊的尴尬。很快，世界各地的许多医生开始使用这种工具，因为它提高了准确性和易用性。听诊器在医学界具有重要意义。然而，听诊器在今天是否仍然如此重要呢？我们现在有便携式超声机等设备，使得更轻松地观察身体成为可能。由于其更高的准确性以及能够更早地发现疾病，这些设备降低了后续成本，从而弥补了初始成本较高的不足。此外，由于 COVID-19 大流行，正在研究新的方法来减少疾病的传播。听诊器可能成为传染病原体的传播媒介，再加上能够更准确地观察身体的新型设备的出现，使得听诊器在今天的继续使用受到质疑。话虽如此，在购买这些新设备还不可行的地方，使用听诊器来诊断疾病仍然至关重要。听诊器是医学的伟大象征，但它的使用需要符合对患者最有利的原则。
