A new electronic sphygmomanometer: testing observer reliability and instrument comparability

A new electronic sphygmomanometer, Visomat II, featuring a new microphone sound chamber and signal light as a substitute for stethoscope use, was tested in two experiments. The study first measured the degree to which two persons observing the same instrument would have similar readings. Standard aneroid and mercury instruments were also tested. This was done to compare readability of the three scales. There were no statistically significant differences in the readings of the three types of units. In the second experiment, pairs of different sphygmomanometers were connected with Y fittings. Technicians compared in random order the similarity of readings of the three possible pairs of units. There were no statistically significant differences in the three pairings. The authors conclude that the new electronic instruments is comparable to the standard aneroid and mercury units.