[Automatic blood pressure monitors. Even with seal of approval they are often inaccurate!]

Owing to the permissible tolerances, even successfully tested automatic blood pressure devices may deliver quite false values. In the largest hypertension study (HOT study) so far carried out, the use of an oscillometric device cannot be considered to provide the "evidence base" for the tacit abandonment of the nonautomatic Korotkoff method, in particular in view of the contradictions in the published data on the device employed. When automatic devices are used in clinical trials, special regulations in the testing protocols of the devices, and a critical consideration of measuring methods in the discussion of the results, are mandatory.