Stethoscope A stethoscope doesn't beep or blink, but it is an incredibly useful diagnostic tool. A stethoscope lets a nurse or physician listen to heart and respiratory sounds. One heart sound that can be easily heard with a stethoscope is a heart murmur . The presence of a murmur can be a sign of an abnormal heart valve. Heart sounds are also used to help the physician decide on the rhythm of the heart.
Extra heart sounds can be a sign of heart failure.
A stethoscope is also used to listen to the lungs. A BP is obtained when a BP cuff is wrapped around your arm and inflated to a pressure high enough to stop the flow of blood in the artery in your arm. The stethoscope is then placed over the artery. Air is slowly let out of the cuff. Blood flow starts when the pressure in the cuff becomes lower than the pressure in the artery.