Steven J. White, MD, MS, an attending physician in the ED at University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton, has published a letter titled "Auscultation Without Contamination: A Solution for Stethoscope Use With Personal Protective Equipment," in Annals of Emergency Medicine. He describes a configuration consisting of a digital stethoscope connected to a Bluetooth transmitter, which sends signals to bone-conduction headphones. This arrangement, tested by the author, enables physicians to auscultate heart and lung sounds, even from a distance, while leaving them free from the conversation impediments posed by earbuds. The setup can be helpful when a physician needs to don PPE to treat a patient with a transmittable infection and when an anxious patient or autistic child would find comfort in having a little distance from the examining physician. Dr. White's letter is available at this address:

www.annemergmed.com/article/S0196-0644(14)01562-5/abstract