The use of a stethoscope is fundamental to every physician and nurse. Learning to recognize heart sounds requires many hours of listening and practice. The physician/instructor must be present to explain the differences in location, pitch, timing and quality of each sound and murmur. There are hundreds of variations in sounds and murmurs from patient to patient. This is a time-consuming, but necessary part of any student’s medical education. The SimulScope System is an excellent means for assisting the physician in teaching heart, breath or bowel sounds, whether teaching bedside or classroom auscultation.

The SimulScope is a device for teaching auscultation at the bedside or in the classroom. It consists of small, portable, battery-operated infrared transmitter with low frequency stethoscope that is taken to the bedside. Each student and the instructor wear a Heartman Infrared Headphone. Everyone hears the same patient simultaneously. The SimulScope has a series of discrete filters that allow the accentuation or attenuation of eight different frequency bands. This permits the instructor to accentuate a grade 1 murmur, a faint AI blow or any other sound. He/she can attenuate or accentuate other sounds or murmurs for purposes of teaching. Sounds can be recorded at the bedside and played back through the SimulScope in the classroom, if desired.

The advantage to the physician is that he can teach multiple students from the same patient simultaneously. Because of the design of the system, the instructor knows exactly what each student is hearing. It is much easier on the patient as is only one stethoscope placed on him or her. These patients are often very ill and the least interruption for them is best.

Because the instructor can teach all students simultaneously, a great deal of time is saved.

Another model of the SimulScope allows the user to set up a 3-lead ECG for determining the onset of systole in patients with faster heart rates.

Other uses for the SimulScope include:

• Telemedicine
• Isolation ward use
• Classroom use.

In summary, the SimulScope is an effective teaching tool because:

• it allows multiple students to be taught simultaneously
• it is much easier on the patient
• the instructor knows exactly what the student is hearing
• it saves a great deal of time
• it is wireless or line operated
• it is effective in teaching