ARTERIOSONDE

Typical Number in Hospital: 3

Cost Bands: 4

References:

This is in fact a trade name for a version of an ultrasonic blood pressure meter or monitor. It is claimed to produce a measure of the systolic and diastolic blood pressure using a cuff on the arm which is more reliable and less subject to movement artefact than is achieved using acoustic or pulse monitoring techniques. It may be found anywhere in the hospital where blood pressures are taken and may include its own pen recorders to display the trend of pressure.

The mode of operation is to detect the movement of the arterial wall under the cuff on the arm by an ultrasonic doppler technique. The movements so detected are interpreted to display the required pressures. Before use, an ultrasonic coupling gel must be applied to the transducer elements to ensure adequate transmission of the ultrasound.

The main components of the machine are a pressure cuff for the arm, an inflation and control mechanism (the inflation and deflation are usually automatic), a continuous wave ultrasonic transmitter, transducer (separate elements for transmit and receive), ultrasonic receiver amplifier and doppler detector, discriminator and display and/or recording device. The recording device can also be programmed to operate at set intervals.