AAMI Certified Associate in Biomedical Technology (CABT) Practice Exam

A stethoscope is used for auscultation, listening to internal body sounds to assess function and detect abnormalities. It lets you hear heart sounds and rhythm, identify murmurs or extra sounds, listen to lung sounds for wheezes or crackles, and/or detect turbulent blood flow in arteries or veins (bruits). This makes it the tool of choice for evaluating heart, lung, and vascular status. It isn’t used to view the eye fundus (that needs an ophthalmoscope), measure glucose (a glucometer is used), or visualize the ear canal (an otoscope is used).