| Who uses a manual guage?
I bought a nifty manual self-testing BP guage <removed>. It has the stethescope built right into the cuff. Only cost about $11.
My question for those of you who measure manually is, for the systolic measurement, do you record at the first "thump" (which is impossible to miss), or do you record systolic when the first barely audible beat is heard, maybe 10 mm before you get that unmistakeable thump?
With the few tests I've done so far, I'll hear 1 or 2 very faint pulse beats as I deflate the pressure, and then "Thump, Thump, Thump, Thump" etc. For example, I might hear a very faint pulse beat at 135, and then a loud Thump at 125.
I've tried googling "korotkoff sounds" but have not gotten a clear answer.
By the way, for anyone suspecting anxiety-induced BP spikes, the manual guage seems to have much less of an effect on my nerves. Something about the whirring noise of the machine pumping up causes me to tense up and I think it affects my result (particularly systolic #). I feel much more relaxed and confident using the manual guage.
Last edited by mod-anon; 03-05-2009 at 11:10 PM.
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