Electronic stethoscope vs normal stethoscope.?

Almost EMT certified and am looking for suggestions on the best stethoscope. There is a difference between a health care provider using a stethoscope in a hospital and a EMT trying to hear on an ambulance....simply I need the best. I have used many regular stethoscopes, but am in the market for a new one and am not sure what direction to lean so I thought I would get some input from some health care professionals that put them to use in the real world (experience). In your opinion whats the best stethoscope a manual or electric if cost/price does not matter? What would you suggest for a person in my field/position? Thanks in advance, I simply want the best.

I personally prefer the Littman II S.E. as an EMT-B as it has two different sized bells. One for Peds and the other for adults. There are numerous sites where you can find stethoscopes in different varieties. Like another poster stated...Why have to worry about "are my batteries going to last the shift" when you can get a decent quality normal stethoscope cheaper. Check out www.stethoscopes.com

I reproduce below a short note on electronic stethoscope. which would makle it clear that the ordinary stethoscope may help in normal circumstances in yet others only an electronic telescope alone can bring out the real natrure of the malady.

Modern electronic stethoscopes are usable at 90 to 95 decibels, about the loudness of truck traffic or a subway train. Rather than conventional earpieces, these have insertable loudspeakers that do a better job of sealing off the ear canal from noise.

They also replace the tubing with electrical cables that do not pick up acoustic noise. In addition, the design of the electronic head can minimize interference from airborne sound.

Still, background noise can infiltrate the electronic head of modern electronic stethoscopes, which means even they are not enough for brutally noisy emergencies.

Noise levels can go as high as 120 decibels in a military helicopter like a Black Hawk or 100 decibels in indoor sports games or pop concerts.

Acoustical engineer Adrianus Houtsma at the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory at Fort Rucker, Ala., and his colleagues have now designed a new stethoscope head that can generate ultrasound waves.

The resulting signals the stethoscope head picks up not only yield clues about the inner workings of the body, but are in sound frequencies that noise from helicopters, ambulances or crowds does not interfere with. They found it could operate even at 120 decibels.

"This is likely to save many lives," Houtsma told LiveScience.

When in ultrasound mode, the new stethoscope hears the "lub dub" of a normal heartbeat as a "ta-da-da" pattern.

Because of these and other significant differences from other stethoscopes in terms of sounds, to minimize confusion, the new stethoscope was designed to behave in standard electronic mode for quiet or moderately noisy environments and ultrasound mode in extreme noise conditions.

The scientists believe further research into the device could find specific sounds possibly linked to certain bodily anomalies, making their ultrasound stethoscope of use to cardiologists and other specialists.

"Ultrasound audio images contain a lot more detail, but we do not know yet what these details may mean," Houtsma said.

Future work should focus on making sure the device is rugged enough for actual use. Researchers also have to make sure it does not generate emissions that interfere with aircraft or other equipment, and vice versa, Houtsma explained.

your going to be an emt, so you dont need an electronic stethoscope.. that is just a waste of money.. plus what do you do if the batteries die?? you also have to remember that the more you pay for it, the more likely it is to turn up missing... i was always told to buy the one i could afford to lose.. i went a little higher with a littmann cardiology 3... this is the cheapest site i have found them on... http://www.allheart.com/littmannscopes.h...
it has worked great for me on and off the ambulance...