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Clinical validation of aneroid sphygmomanometer
Yogesh Saxena1, Vartika Saxena, Rani Gupta
1Department of Physiology, Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Jolly Grant, Dehradun--248 140, India. drysaxena@rediffmail.com
Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
|June 6, 2013
Summary
Concerns over mercury toxicity are driving the use of aneroid manometers. This study found the Welch Allyn aneroid sphygmomanometer (model 7670-04) demonstrated clinically acceptable accuracy for blood pressure measurement, achieving Grade B performance.
Area of Science:
- Clinical measurement
- Medical instrumentation
- Public health
Background:
- Growing concerns regarding mercury toxicity and its environmental/health impacts.
- Increased adoption of aneroid manometers as an alternative to mercury sphygmomanometers.
- Need to validate the accuracy and consistency of aneroid devices in clinical settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the clinical accuracy of the Welch Allyn aneroid sphygmomanometer (model 7670-04) compared to mercury sphygmomanometers.
- To determine if the shift to aneroid devices causes systematic changes or affects consistency in blood pressure measurements.
- To assess the performance of the aneroid device against established clinical accuracy standards.
Main Methods:
- Comparative accuracy study involving 83 volunteers in Dehradun.
- Dual blood pressure readings taken for each subject using both aneroid and mercury sphygmomanometers.
- Statistical analysis including difference of means, correlation, and regression analysis.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant difference was found between the mean readings of aneroid and mercury sphygmomanometers for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
- Strong significant correlation observed between systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings from both instruments.
- Regression analysis indicated a significant difference from the line of equality, but the aneroid device achieved Grade B performance according to British Hypertensive Society criteria.
Conclusions:
- The Welch Allyn aneroid sphygmomanometer (model 7670-04) demonstrates acceptable clinical accuracy for blood pressure measurement.
- The transition to this aneroid device is unlikely to introduce significant systematic shifts or inconsistencies in clinical blood pressure readings.
- The study validates the use of this specific aneroid model as a viable alternative to mercury sphygmomanometers, meeting recognized performance standards.
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