To me, there are few things in life more frustrating than losing a stethoscope. Through 2 years of physician assistant school and 12 years of clinical practice, I have had three stethoscopes, and I remember each of them well.

My first stethoscope was a black Littman Classic. It reliably served me through PA school, but it became an early casualty when it was stolen about a year after I finished PA school. It went “missing” during a busy night shift at a trauma center in Brooklyn. I was initially crushed, because after being out of PA school for a year, I was still broke and having to pay back my student loans. Losing my stethoscope meant shelling out 200 bucks! Over the years though, I became more philosophical. The Littman Classic lived a short, productive life and ultimately had a noble demise! I will always remember it fondly.

My second stethoscope was a blue Littman Master Cardiology. I decided to up-grade from my first stethoscope, and I figured since I was working in cardiology, I was up to the challenge. I was blown away by its improved performance compared to the Littman Classic. Heart sounds were never so clear! A 1/6 systolic murmur? Not to me. It sounded more like a 2/6 systolic murmur with my stethoscope. It was like learning to drive in a 1989 Ford Escort and then your dad letting you borrow the Caddy. My Littman Master Cardiology was a great stethoscope, and it served me well for almost 8 years. Together, we listened to thousands of lung fields, heard high-pitched bowel sounds, and even heard an occasional S4. I faithfully replaced the ear tips and diaphragm, but like all things, “Old Blue” wore out. The rubber tubing began to stiffen and then crack. Ultimately, the tubing maintained a permanent “C” shape and holes began to form. Duct tape postponed the inevitable for a bit, but finally “Old Blue” had to retire. What actually prompted its retirement were my preparations to work in Scotland for a year. I didn't think my new employers in the National Health Service would be all that impressed with the guy from America and his worn out, duct-taped stethoscope. It retired in style, only to be lost in the move. Perfect.

My most recent stethoscope was a black Littman Cardiology III. It's the Ford F-150 of stethoscopes, a workhorse with a bit of style. It was a solid stethoscope that served me well on two continents … until tonight, when I lost it. Interestingly, the search for my lost stethoscope made me realize that the Cardiology III is even more like the Ford F-150 than I thought in that everybody owns one!

So, I lost my stethoscope. It wasn't a particularly busy night, but I was distracted enough to forget where I put it. I have lost my stethoscope before. It has been forgotten on numerous isolation carts, left on countless computer stations, and even pulled out of the garbage after it had been swept up by housekeeping. After backtracking all of my steps for the day and questioning my colleagues, I came to the realization that this time it is gone for good. I am only left with memories of distant bruits, faint rhonchi, and whispered pectoriloquy. It was lost in the prime of its life. What a tragedy.

But patients don't wait. I had to borrow a stethoscope to finish my shift, which is always awkward. Tomorrow, I will start my search for a new stethoscope.

Zachary Hartsell works in hospital medicine in Phoenix, Arizona.