I think this is a good point, insofar that how bacterial resistant the stethoscope is relevant. Stethoscopes made of stainless steel are going to beat anything 3d printed by a significant margin.
It definitely doesn’t help that prints from filament printers are very porous, 100% infill or not. Maybe sealing it with epoxy after printing would help?
I doubt the diaphragm which actually touches the body, or the flexible tubing of expensive scopes can be sterilized in an autoclave. This diaphragm here is cut from cheap plastic and easily replaceable, the tubing is silicone. I do not believe the flexible tubing on the expensive ones is usually silicone and replacement diaphragms probably cost as much as this whole DIY scope. Metal is resistant to heat, but porous still, so disinfecting with alcohol isn't enough, if you got nasty on it. Never in my life have I seen any doctor pulling a stethoscope from a sterile paper bag. It's likely not as clean as you want it to be.
I believe, in practice you should avoid putting it directly onto the heart, keep a layer of healthy skin in-between. Given the scope of the scope, that may be acceptable, considering the alternative may be direct skin2skin contact with your patient...
But yeah, generally, 3D printed objects are not easy to sanitize properly.Eg. their porosity makes them not safe for repeated food contact. I mean, the glass transition temperature of ABS is 105°, so you could dip it in boiling water, but that's not enough for making it sterile and consequent water inclusions are a welcoming place to start a new family a few hours later for any remaining spores. You could try fractional pasteurization and heat drying, in a pinch, at the end of times.
Never seen a UK doctor or nurse attempt to clean, much les sterilize, one.
There are disposable, single-patient stethoscopes, but I've seen my Dr do a casual wipe with an alcohol swab often enough...
I think this is a good point, insofar that how bacterial resistant the stethoscope is relevant. Stethoscopes made of stainless steel are going to beat anything 3d printed by a significant margin.
It definitely doesn’t help that prints from filament printers are very porous, 100% infill or not. Maybe sealing it with epoxy after printing would help?
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I doubt the diaphragm which actually touches the body, or the flexible tubing of expensive scopes can be sterilized in an autoclave. This diaphragm here is cut from cheap plastic and easily replaceable, the tubing is silicone. I do not believe the flexible tubing on the expensive ones is usually silicone and replacement diaphragms probably cost as much as this whole DIY scope. Metal is resistant to heat, but porous still, so disinfecting with alcohol isn't enough, if you got nasty on it. Never in my life have I seen any doctor pulling a stethoscope from a sterile paper bag. It's likely not as clean as you want it to be.
I believe, in practice you should avoid putting it directly onto the heart, keep a layer of healthy skin in-between. Given the scope of the scope, that may be acceptable, considering the alternative may be direct skin2skin contact with your patient...
But yeah, generally, 3D printed objects are not easy to sanitize properly.Eg. their porosity makes them not safe for repeated food contact. I mean, the glass transition temperature of ABS is 105°, so you could dip it in boiling water, but that's not enough for making it sterile and consequent water inclusions are a welcoming place to start a new family a few hours later for any remaining spores. You could try fractional pasteurization and heat drying, in a pinch, at the end of times.
The usual procedure is to wipe with 70% ethyl alcohol.
I regularly wipe my stethoscope, but I have never sterilized it. I doubt many would survive an autoclave.