ArticleCureus2025
Comparison of the Utility of Single-Ear and Binaural Auscultations: A Diagnostic Accuracy Study.
Article in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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9 authors.
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Abstract
introductionSingle-ear (monaural) auscultation is occasionally used in lung examinations. In this method, a binaural stethoscope is placed in one ear, leaving the other ear free for listening to other sounds. To enhance the efficiency of medical examinations, interviews, and auscultation are sometimes performed simultaneously using single-ear auscultation. However, there are no studies reporting the accuracy of single-ear auscultation for lung examinations. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the utility of single-ear and binaural auscultations. MATERIALS AND
methodsWe prospectively collected data from 35 respiratory physicians at Fukujuji Hospital and Kyorin University Faculty of Medicine from April 2024 to June 2024. Data on audible minimal volume, points earned from auscultation questions, and self-reported confidence levels for answers to auscultation questions were compared between single-ear and binaural auscultations in both quiet and noisy environments. Furthermore, participants were divided into those with a respiratory specialist qualification (specialist group) and those without the qualification (nonspecialist group), and subanalysis was performed between these two groups.
resultsSingle-ear auscultation resulted in fewer earned points than binaural auscultation in both quiet environments (median 12 points (range 7-15) vs. 13 points (9-16),
conclusionThe utility of single-ear auscultation for lung auscultation was less than that of binaural auscultation. Physicians should use a binaural stethoscope correctly and listen with both ears.
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