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Need help/advice regarding stethoscopes with BTE's

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Hello all! I am new to the boards. I really need some help! I am a respiratory therapist working in a hospital setting. I currently have Oticon Agil Pro hearing aids. I am using the E-Scope II with headphones (so that I don’t have to take my hearing aids out to listen to patients) but am running into several problems and I need a little advice. I have heard about something called a streamer? Apparantly (maybe) it somehow transmits sounds from the stethoscope wirelessly to the hearing aids. I asked my audi about it, but she didn’t seem to know what I was talking about… I have also read something about little “boots” that can be fitted on the BTE’s that use something called a DAI to transmit the signals, but I am not sure if my hearing aids are a candidate for that? It said something about needing a , and I don’t know if my aids have that. Any information you have to help me out would be GREATLY appreciated. I use my stethoscope a lot at work, and the headphones are very bulky and really get in my way. I’m looking for something to make my work like easier.

I’m in pediatrics and use the e-scope also. From what I understand, having sound directed from the stethescope to hearing aids doesn’t work that well because hearing aids are designed to filter out too much of the low frequencies where heart and lung sounds are. There is a web site for hearing impaired health professionals with some good information and a better explanation.

Darn! I was afraid of that…Maybe I will see if I can find a smaller set of headphones then. I think I have an oversized set or something because they feel ridiculous and look twice as worse I’m sure. Thanks for your insight!

I have widex clear rite hearing aids with open domes and use a thinklabs electronic stethoscope. I put the ear pieces right in my ears over the receiver wire. I usually use the remote to mute the aids when I am using the stethoscope to reduce outside sound and hear heart and breath sounds very well. Sometimes I do have to gently press the earpieces into my ears or change the angle a bit is to hear better. a good solution for me http://www.thinklabsmedical.com/6

Someone on the all deaf forum uses her icom (streamer) with the same stereoscope. She finds it works well apart from a progressive loss. She has a profound loss.

Oticon do have a streamer.

@yellowismyfavoriteco said:

Apparantly (maybe) it somehow transmits sounds from the stethoscope wirelessly to the hearing aids. .

I believe you are referring to a bluetooth receiver for your end, probably worn around your neck. Oticon refers to as ConnectLine. Siemens, who manufactured my Costco/Kirkland aids has one for their line. You would need a transmitter to attach to the stethoscope, since I know of no one making a steth with bluetooth connectivity built in.

@yellowismyfavoriteco said:

It said something about needing a T-coil, and I don’t know if my aids have that…

From their web-site:
are standard in all Oticon and are optional in full shell, half-shell, low-profile and some canal-style hearing aids.

@yellowismyfavoriteco said:

Any information you have to help me out would be GREATLY appreciated. I use my stethoscope a lot at work, and the headphones are very bulky and really get in my way. I’m looking for something to make my work like easier.

First, ask the Escope manufacturer, Cardionics, for help. Their website has info on connections form Ipaq and PC that should give you a starting point for settings. If you ask they might give very specific instructions and a lot of advice.

Second - here’s what I’m doing. Got my aids just over a week ago.

Ordered a Thinklabs DS32a+. It happens to be the least expensive right now, easily found for around $180-200 shipped. It has an output jack that allows me to make some sort of connection. Your Cardionics does, too.

Ordered a Clear Sounds CLA7-V2 neckloop. It is a device that will connect through your T-coils at the hearing aid end, and a wire to the output on the DS32a end.

So I will end up with:
A steth hung around my neck by the unused earpieces
A wire going from the steth controls to a small device hanging around my neck
The sound automagically goes from the wire around my neck to my aids.

I ordered a bluetooth neckloop and transmitter (dongle) so can play with that approach, too.

I have it all but forgot my stethoscope at work (typical of me). So, I will not be able to experiment until next week.

Fred

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