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| Typical Number in Hospital: 5 | Cost Bands: 3 | References: 6 |
Literally this just means a blood pressure meter but the term has been coined to refer to a double cuff indirect blood pressure meter which works on a principle somewhat similar to an oscillotonometer. Pulsations in pressure in each cuff are detected by thermistors in the connecting tubes. There are no pulsations in either cuff when inflated above the systolic pressure. There is a time (phase) difference in the pulsations in each cuff at pressures between systolic and diastolic pressures and no phase difference at pressures below diastolic. These various possibilities can be decoded electronically.
Such devices may exist as independent instruments or be incorporated into general monitors, sometimes called vital signs monitors which are used during anaesthesia to provide a number of measurements (including blood pressure) simultaneously.
Content and Design Copyright 2000 Dr. Malcolm C Brown. See Title Page for more details