3M Health Care Limited, headquartered in Loughborough, Leicestershire, markets a diverse range of over 1,400 products for the health care industry, including ethical pharmaceuticals, medical devices, transdermal and inhalation drug delivery systems, dental, microbiology and diagnostic products.

3M Health Care is part of the global 3M Company, an organisation founded over 100 years ago in Minnesota, U.S.A. Over the last century, 3M has discovered and developed many vital innovations that have changed the practice and delivery of health care – innovations such as the world’s first adhesive surgical drape, electronic stethoscope and CFC-free metered dose asthma inhaler. Today, 3M has over 67,000 employees, operations in more than 60 countries worldwide and a global turnover of $20 billion. The company’s vision - to be the most innovative enterprise and the preferred supplier - continues to drive new product development programmes, in which feedback from health care practitioners plays a vital role.

One example of where 3M innovation has revolutionised diagnostic medicine is in the field of auscultation. Since 1967, 3M™ Littmann^® Stethoscopes have been setting the standard for innovation in design, acoustics and operating excellence. In 2001, Littmann stethoscopes introduced the world’s first electronic stethoscope with onboard digital dataprocessing and recording, developed in conjunction with Bang & Olufsen Medicom. An electronic stethoscope offers the real benefit of enhanced sound amplification, allowing more body sounds to be detected. By allowing heart and lung sounds to be downloaded to a PC, this new technology allows a diagnosis to be made without the patient being present.

In 2005, the Littmann stethoscope range is introducing patented Ambient Noise Reduction (ANR) Technology to its latest model, the 3M™ Littmann^® Model 3000 Electronic Stethoscope. Ambient noise includes human voices, medical equipment, air conditioning units and road traffic noise, all of which may confuse and complicate body sound interpretation and diagnosis. For the first time, a Littmann stethoscope will feature ANR Technology which can reduce distracting noise by an average of 75%. In a controlled test¹, cardiologists missed a Grade 2 aortic regurgitation murmur 5 times more often using a conventional cardiology-type stethoscope than when using the Model 3000.

A wide variety of Littmann stethoscopes are available to meet different auscultation needs. These can be purchased via appointed Littmann stethoscope dealers or on-line at www.3m.com/uk/littmann.

For further information on any aspect of Littmann stethoscopes, please contact:

Catherine Rainey
Diagnostic Products Executive
3M Health Care Limited
3M House
Morley Street
Loughborough
Leicestershire, LE11 1EP

Tel: (01509) 613569
or visit us at www.3m.com/uk/littmann

3M and Littmann are trademarks of the 3M Company.

1. Data on file, 3M Health Care Limited.

 

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