2006-08-16 14:54:23 · 3 answers · asked by aida g 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
The sphygmomanometer measures arterial blood pressure.
There are intra-arterial devices that can be used to measure blood pressure, but these are regarded as invasive and aren't used very much except in certain surgical procedures.
2006-08-16 15:00:09 · answer #1 · answered by RGedzelman 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The standard device is the sphymomanometer. The doctor wraps an inflatable cuff around your upper arm, and places a stethescope on the artery inside the elbow joint. The cuff is inflated to a high pressure value (above the expected systolic) and then the pressure slowly released. Eventually a pulsing sound will be heard in the artery, and the pressure reading at the time that sound starts is the systolic pressure. The cuff is allowed to continue deflating until the sound stops or changes in tone; this is the diastolic pressure. There are automatic sphymomanometers available for home used which actually sense the pulsing pressure in the cuff (no stethescope is used) to determing the pressure, and these are surprisingly accurate.
Both pressures are now considered important, with diastolic emphasized for younger people, systolic for older (>60) people.
2006-08-16 16:11:38 · answer #2 · answered by gp4rts 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In a very simple language it is manometer.
2006-08-17 13:08:18 · answer #3 · answered by moosa 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋