[Measurement of systolic finger blood pressure with a pulse oximeter]

In order to investigate whether the pletysmographic curve on a pulse oximeter can be employed for measurement of the systolic finger blood pressure, the authors compared the method with a strain-gauge method and undertook 160 measurements with a finger cuff on 11 healthy volunteers. By varying the pressure in two cuffs placed on the arm, the blood pressure in the finger could be altered from normal to very low values. The difference between the connected values was analysed and it was found that the difference between strain-gauge and pulse oximeter measurements read on the printer on employment on a new volunteer will be -0.9 +/- 3.8 mmHg. If the blood pressure is read on a manometer, the same difference will be -1.5 +/- 5.2 mmHg. The authors consider that the method is interesting in view of future employment for assessment of the collateral circulation in the hand but they recommend further investigations on patients with occlusive arterioschlerotic disease in the upper limbs.