Stethoscope chest piece holder

#n/a

#The present invention relates generally to auscultation training, and, more particularly, to a stethoscope chest piece holder for coupling a stethoscope chest piece to a medical device configured to emit body sounds.

#Auscultation training is often conducted as part of medical education. Auscultation is the act of listening to sounds from the heart, lungs, or other body parts, typically with a stethoscope, as a part of medical diagnosis. During auscultation training, standardized patients are often used to mimic symptoms of a real patient. As a drawback, standardized patients are typically unable to simulate pathologies involving findings such as heart murmurs, abnormal lung, or abnormal abdominal sounds. Therefore, systems that improve upon auscultation training have been developed. For example, known systems which couple to a stethoscope may include an embedded speaker which plays pre-recorded digital audio files at the command of an instructor to mimic real patient symptoms. Such systems typically do not include a stethoscope chest piece holder that allows a user, such as a medical student, to easily and conveniently couple the system to variously sized stethoscopes. Known stethoscope chest piece holders are size specific, difficult to use, or involve numerous moving parts which increase the expense and complexity of manufacturing.

#A more complete understanding of the present invention, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stethoscope chest piece holder including a clamp and one or more handles, the stethoscope chest piece holder having a stethoscope coupled thereto in accordance with the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the clamp of FIG. 1;

#As used here, relational terms, such as “first” and “second,” “top” and “bottom,” “front and rear,” and the like, may be used solely to distinguish one entity or element from another entity or element without necessarily requiring or implying any physical or logical relationship or order between such entities or elements.

#Referring now to the drawings in which like reference designators refer to like elements, there is shown in FIG. 1 an exemplary stethoscope chest piece holder in accordance with the present invention and designated generally as “100.” The stethoscope chest piece holder 100 may be referred to herein as “the holder” and may include a clamp 102 or the clamp 102 and one or more handles, such as a pair of handles 104. The holder 100 is configured to hold a portion of a medical device, such as a stethoscope 105 including a stethoscope chest piece 106, proximate to a medical attachment device 108 to simulate a medical diagnostic situation. The term “proximate” includes the chest piece 106 being in direct contact with the medical attachment device 108 or within 0.5 inches of the medical attachment device 108. The chest piece 106 may be single-sided including a diaphragm or may be dual-sided including the diaphragm and a bell. The stethoscope 105 and the holder 100 may be provided as an assembly.

#The medical attachment device 108 may be a device or system having a speaker, a memory for storing body sounds, and a processor. The processor may be configured to cause the speaker to emit the body sounds from the memory, such as during auscultation training, to mimic the practice of medical diagnosis. For example, and without limitation, the medical attachment device 108 may be that which is disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,552,745 and 9,601,031 incorporated by reference herein in the entirety. The body sounds may be associated with the lungs, heartbeat, blood flow, and the like. In one example, the chest piece 106 may be held proximate to a simulated patient or manikin's heart and the medical attachment device 108 may emit heart sounds from the speaker embedded within the medical attachment device 108.