How Do I Know If Sphygmomanometer Is Working Properly?

Posted on Sun, 23 Dec 2012

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 Answered on

Wed, 9 Jan 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : What does it mean when I take a blood pressure & Korotkoff sounds do not disappear to get the diastolic pressure? Is it possible to have a diastolic pressure of 0?

Answered by Dr. Ganesh Sanap (1 hour later)

Hi,

Welcome . Thanks for writing in.

If korotkoff sound doesn't disappear up to zero then it means procedure was faulty or spygmomanometer was not working properly.

There is no such condition like zero diastolic blood pressure in any living human being. Diastolic pressure is measurement of vessel elasticity. If it zero means vessels don't have any elastic power. It is not possible in living condition.

Hope I have answered your query . If you have any more concern let me know.

Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Mohammed Kappan

Follow up: Dr. Ganesh Sanap (54 minutes later)

Somebody told me that in some patients it is possible to hear sound all the way down to 0 but it is the point in change in tone that matters and gives the diastolic pressure, is this correct? Was I hearing pulse sounds at 0? Is is possible to hear brachial pulse sounds with a spyg when the patient is at rest?
# sorry not spyg I mean stethoscope

Answered by Dr. Ganesh Sanap (1 hour later)

Hi, welcome back...

Usually at normal blood pressure we don't hear brachial pulse. Only if patient is having a hyperdynamic circulation then it may be possible to hear in some cases.

And it will always give a wrong result if you measure your own blood pressure. You may verify the values at your doctor's office.

Hope I cleared doubts. Let me know if you have other enquiries.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad

Follow up: Dr. Ganesh Sanap (2 hours later)

Thanks again for your reply

Apologies, I'm actually describing am experience after taking somebody elses bp not my own, who has severe heart failure and af. Should I be concerned I could hear these sounds?

I simply took the diastolic reading at the point of change in tone from the muffling noises to what appear to sound like pulse beats, was this incorrect?

Thanks

Answered by Dr. Ganesh Sanap (18 minutes later)

Hi, welcome back...

While recording blood pressure, systolic blood pressure is when the sounds starts appearing and diastolic is when the sound start to muffle from the original sound.

If patient is in shock then readings are quite difficult to understand for any new examiner. If you are a new examiner then you may need supervised practice for few days before you can master the technique of recording blood pressure.

In this case, you probably recorded the blood pressure right.

Hope you got your doubts cleared. Let me know if you have any other concerns.
If all your queries are answered, please close this discussion. \

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad