Littmann Cardiology IV Stethoscope: A Complete Review

Hello everyone, Nurse Jenny here!

There are a lot of Littmann Stethoscopes and right about now you are starting to wonder, what is really the best stethoscope out there? Well, you don’t need to look for a heart doctor to know. Working with Cardiologists near me, I have already asked them too. 

Today I will be reviewing for you the Littmann Cardiology IV. I bought mine in Rose pink! As always, I will give you my honest opinion so that you can make an informed choice. And by the end, you're going to know if this beauty is the one for you.

If you have read my stethoscope reviews before, welcome back! As usual, I will be going through 10 different aspects of this stethoscope, rating them out of five. So by the end, I will have a score out of 50

Let’s begin!

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 1. ACOUSTICS

This Littmann Cardiology IV stethoscope has got a dual-lumen tubing. 

What exactly does dual-lumen mean? 

I was also curious about what it looked like so I took my old Littmann Cardiology IV stethoscope, and I cut it in half. Yes I did, and yes it hurt a little bit inside.

But now I know that a dual-lumen is and what it actually does. Basically a dual-lumen stethoscope means that there is a channel in the middle of the tube, and it divides the tube into two lumens. So one channel goes directly to your right ear, and the other channel goes directly to your left ear. This allows for a louder and clearer sound with no interference between the two channels.

The tube is also extra thick, which prevents any sound from escaping from the tubing, and it also significantly reduces the rubbing sounds that you can get from the tube scratching the bed linen or from your clothing or hands. If you’re not sure whether you are getting the loudest sound, you might want to check out the correct way of using your stethoscope.

For the fantastic dual-lumen tubes of the Cardiology IV I gave it a great score of 5/5 Stars.

2. EAR TIP COMFORT

As usual, all Littmann ear tips are great.

I like using them because they are soft in my ears and they don't hurt even if you use them the whole day. Though they are soft to the ears, they are firm enough to create a really good seal, which means it also helps to seal the sounds coming from the outside. 

For the ear tips, I give it a 5/5 Stars.

3. WEIGHT

This stethoscope weighs 171 grams or which is 6 ounces. It’s around the weight of a billiard ball.  And as a personal preference, that is way too heavy to carry around my neck the whole day. I would prefer it to be a bit lighter because if you’re going to bring this around on your neck you will definitely feel the strain at the end of your shift.

For its weight I give it a 3/5 Stars.

4. PRICE 

The price of the Littmann Cardiology IV stethoscope is $180 USD.

For a double-lumen stethoscope, you definitely get the quality that you pay for in terms of its purpose so I've given it a 4/5 Stars.

Before I continue, you might wonder

 “JUST HOW MANY STETHOSCOPES DO YOU HAVE AT HOME NURSE JENNY??” 

Well, I have bought a lot of stethoscopes for all my Stethoscope Reviews but they are not at home collecting dust. I do run monthly giveaways, so if you're interested and would like to join, check out my website for the free monthly giveaways.

Let's continue!

5. TUBING LENGTH 

The Littmann Cardiology IV is 69 cm long, which is roughly 27 inches. And if I wasn't so picky with the length of my stethoscope, that could've been okay.

I would prefer to not have to bend too much so I would have loved it to be just a touch longer.

If you want to see how the Littmann Cardiology IV stands against the Littmann Classic III, I made a Cardiology IV vs Classic III comparative review.

For the length I've given it a 4/5 Stars.

6. TUBING FEEL 

Now, had this been my first stethoscope ever, I probably wouldn't have any problem with the feel of the tubing, but because I've tried other stethoscopes that are smoother and that are nicer on my skin, I do notice that this one is a little bit sticky.

It snags the little hairs on my neck, and it gets stuck on the skin.

I've given the tubing feel a 3.5/5 Stars.

7. STETHOSCOPE DESIGN

When it comes to the design, I love the Rose Pink tubing of this stethoscope. 

I think it is really pretty. And the A-frame feature near the binaurals looks really cool.

The chest piece is turnable, which is really important for me so I always look for that in a stethoscope. It has two diaphragms on both sides and the pediatric side can turn into an open bell when you replace it with the non-chill rim.

The ear tips are soft and they are pull-off and push-on type, so it won’t just fall off during your daily work. It fits perfectly and doesn’t get removed easily. You got to actually put quite a lot of force into it.

The chest piece is thicker than the Littmann Classic III. I’m not sure if that has something to do with the acoustics but I prefer the Littmann Classic III being as it is slimmer.

All in all its design is executed beautifully so I've given it a 4.5/5 Stars.

8. SPARE KIT

The spare kit you will get with the Littmann Cardiology IV stethoscope has an extra set of small soft ear tips and one set of hard ear tips, one non-chill rim, and one manual booklet.

Now, when it comes to ear tips, I prefer to have three different sizes to choose from because everyone's ear canals are different, and they all suit different people so you should get what fits you. 

When it comes to the diaphragms, they do tend to fall off from time to time, and you lose them. So I would prefer to see an extra set of diaphragms in there as well.

So for these reasons, I've given the spare kit a 2.5/5 Stars.

9. WARRANTY 

As it was indicated on the box, you get a six years warranty which means if a material or manufacturing defect occurs during the warranty period, it can get repaired free of charge, except in the cases of obvious abuse or accidental damage. 

And I've given that a 5/5 Stars.

10. BUYING EXPERIENCE 

When I bought and received the Littmann Cardiology IV it was enclosed in its box, which looked clean and quite nicely presented. Inside it lays displayed in a black foam, which I'm personally not a big fan of. The spare kits are positioned inside and the manual booklet sits on top of the set.

If you want to see if you have the original set of stethoscopes, watch my Littmann Cardiology IV unboxing fresh from the box.

The buying experience obviously does not impact the functionality of the stethoscope at all.

But for the purpose of reviewing the whole stethoscope, and for you to find out what to expect when buying yours, I'd like to include in my review. 

For these reasons, I’ve given it a 3.5/5 Stars.

LITTMANN CARDIOLOGY IV STETHOSCOPE REVIEW SCORE: 40/50 STARS!

To recap our ratings :

1. Acoustic:  5
2. Eartip Comfort: 5
3. Weight: 3
4. Price: 4
5. Tubing Length: 4
6. Tubing Feel:  3.5
7. Stethoscope Design: 4.5
8. Spare Kit: 2.5
9. Warranty:  5
10. Buying Experience: 3.5

Overall the Littmann Cardiology IV has received a score of 40 out of 50 from me.

Due to the weight of the stethoscope, I wouldn't personally wear it around my neck all day.

And also the stickiness of the tubing and the fact that my little neck hairs get caught in it, that's a little downside for me. I also would have liked to see a better spare kit and a better-presented box for the money that I paid.

Despite the fact that I find this stethoscope too heavy around my neck and the tubing is sticky, the acoustics and the dual lumen feature of this stethoscope is amazing.

This stethoscope would be perfect for anyone who works in cardiology, or if you assess lung sounds on a daily basis, you work in ICU, or you work in Critical Care.

But if you are looking for your first stethoscope or if all you're doing is manual blood pressures with your stethoscope, a cheaper option would work just as well for you.

Buying your own stethoscope can be quite a decision to make. One thing is for sure, in Bjorn Hall, with every stethoscope you buy is also a decision to be a part of our stethoscope donation drive. We donate 5 USD for every stethoscope sold to a charity, nurse or nurses of YOUR choice. You might want to check it out. 

You might also want to read my 
Littmann Cardiology IV Rose Pink Stethoscope Unboxing

 How does the Littmann Cardiology IV stand compare to Cardiology III?:

Littmann Classic III Stethoscope vs Littmann Cardiology IV Stethoscope

Well, there you have my complete review for the Littmann Cardiology IV stethoscope and if you have any questions write them down on the comments section below. 

See you on my next review and remember, listen with your heart.

Nurse Jenny