A New Double Cuff Sphygmotonometer for Accurate Blood Pressure Measurement

• Published in: Hypertension Research Vol. 24; no. 4; pp. 353 - 357
• Main Authors: TOCHIKUBO, Osamu, WATANABE, Junko, HANADA, Kouichi, MIYAJIMA, Eiji, KIMURA, Kazuo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England The Japanese Society of Hypertension 2001
• Subjects: Algorithms; Auscultation; auscultatory method; Blood Pressure Determination - methods; Blood Pressure Determination - standards; blood pressure measurement; Equipment Design; Humans; hypertension; oscillometric method; Oscillometry; Photometry; Sphygmomanometers - standards
• ISSN: 0916-9636; 1348-4214
• DOI: 10.1291/hypres.24.353

Accurate measurement of blood pressure (BP) is essential in the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension, but neither auscultatory nor oscillometric methods measure intra-arterial BP accurately in all circumstances. Algorithms for automatic BP-measuring devices differ from manufacturer to manufacturer, and no clear authorized algorithm criteria have yet been established. We have devised a double-cuff sphygmotonometer to measure BP on the basis of clear algorithms, and investigated the accuracy of this new method by comparing it with the photo-oscillometric method, which is the most accurate method for non-invasive measurement of intra-arterial BP. In the new method, a small cuff (3×6 cm) replaces the photo-sensor in the brachial cuff (13×24 cm) of the photo-oscillometric device, and BP is determined by means of the oscillation within the small cuff. The comparison based on procedures of AAMI-protocol was performed in 136 hypertensive patients and 54 normotensive subjects. The difference in systolic BP between the photo-oscillometric and double-cuff methods was −2.26±2.31 mmHg (89% under 5 mmHg), and the corresponding difference in diastolic BP was 1.9±2.50 mmHg (94% under 5 mmHg). In conclusion, we have devised a new double-cuff method which improves on the photo-oscillometric method, and although it seems to be less accurate than the photo-oscillometric method, the clarity of its algorithm makes it superior to the conventional oscillometric and auscultatory methods employing only one cuff. (Hypertens Res 2001; 24: 353-357)