Fundamentals of Nursing Q 293
The nurse uses a stethoscope to auscultate a male patient’s chest. Which statement about a stethoscope with a bell and diaphragm is true?
A. The bell detects high-pitched sounds best.
B. The diaphragm detects high-pitched sounds best.
C. The bell detects thrills best.
D. The diaphragm detects low-pitched sounds best.
Correct Answer: B. The diaphragm detects high-pitched sounds best.
The diaphragm of a stethoscope detects high-pitched sound best; the bell detects low pitched sounds best. Palpation detects thrills best. The bell is flat and round and is covered by a thin layer of plastic known as the diaphragm. The diaphragm vibrates as sound is produced within the body. These vibrations travel from the bell, up the hollow tube which splits into two, and into hollow earpieces to be heard as sound by the medical professional.
Option A: The smaller or other part of the resonator is called a bell. It is made up of hollow pieces of metal that help at picking up low-frequency sounds.
Option C: Whenever a medical practitioner places a stethoscope diaphragm on a chest of a patient, vibration will occur at the flat surface of the stethoscope which is a result of sound waves that is being generated from the patient’s body. The vibration picked by the diaphragm is being protected externally in other to prevent sound loss and thereby channeled through the tube to a specific direction.
Option D: The diaphragm is the lower part of the chest piece. It is a flat metallic disc surrounded by chill rings which enable it to pick a very high pitch sound.