I was shocked to see that a "brand name" stethoscope is $100+ and even generic ones are $30.
I'm shocked that you're shocked lol.<p>$100 for a somewhat specialized, durable medical device that has to meet regulatory standards and will be used daily, possibly for years, by healthcare providers to do patient assessments?<p>A 3D printed option is going to require a 3D printer, appropriate filament and should be unit tested to ensure it's within spec. The durability is going to be suspect no matter what. It's an awesome project and I'm sure would be a welcome addition to the 'boostrap humanity' catalog of 3D printed parts, but for everyday doctors plunking a hundo on a good tool is going to be a no-brainer.
It is somewhat of a critical tool, so you don't wanna be checked by a doctor who made their own stethoscope or got one for 3 USD on AliExpress.
It’s funny, most physicians agree that the cheap disposable stethoscopes in isolation rooms are the best, mostly because they are so loud it’s difficult miss anything with them. However, I am not a cardiologist so they may have a different opinion.
Our one that DIY'd one like one would do a dosing rod in their garage.
You probably pay for tests and that the company has to be audited for medical diagnostics standards
They can become a lot more expensive than $100, but the difference between a Littman Cardiology and the $15 EMT student stethoscope is night and day.<p>> Currently, the stethoscope resulting from this project functions as well as the market gold standard, the Littmann Cardiology III<p>If this is true, it's a major achievement.
Is that a lot or a little?