Digital, mercury and aneroid blood pressure measurements were carried out in 400 South American adults. There was slight under-reading of the aneroid instrument (hypertension prevalence 30%, compared with 32% for digital and mercury), but its robustness and simplicity makes it a suitable alternative to mercury machines in tropical field conditions.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
O'BrienE. Replacing the mercury sphygmomanometer. BMJ2000; 320: 815–16.
2.
BurkeMJTowersHMO'MalleyKFitzgeraldDO'BrienE. Sphygmomanometers in hospitals and family practice: Problems and recommendations. BMJ1982; 285: 469–71.
3.
StewartMJPadfieldPL. Measurement of blood pressure in the technological age. Br Med Bull1994; 50: 420–4.
4.
MionDPierinAMG. How accurate are sphygmomanometers?. J Hum Hypertens1998; 12: 245–8.
5.
CanzanelloVJJensenPLSchwartzGL. Are aneroid sphygmomanometers accurate in hospital and clinic settings?. Arch Inl Med2001; 161: 729–31.
