An evaluation of the DS-175, DS-145, and DS-115, digital blood pressure/pulse meter devices

The performances of three electronic digital blood pressure/pulse meter models, Nissei DS-175, DS-145, and DS-115, were compared with measurements obtained using the mercury sphygmomanometer and auscultatory technique. Significant correlations (p less than 0.01) were found between the accepted medical criterion and the three models evaluated for both systolic (r = 0.64 to 0.74) and diastolic (r = 0.58 to 0.61) pressure measurements; however, the accuracies of the devices were deemed inadequate. The DS-175 was found to significantly overestimate both systolic (p less than 0.025) and diastolic (p less than 0.05) pressures. Furthermore, all models tended to overestimate low blood pressures, whereas high blood pressures were underestimated. Variables associated with home use by the lay person are also discussed.