Sphygmomanometer

The roots involved are as follows: Greek σφυγμός sphygmos "pulse", plus the scientific term manometer (from French manomètre), i.e. "pressure meter", itself coined from μανός manos "thin, sparse", and μέτρον metron "measure".

In 1901, pioneering neurosurgeon Dr. Harvey Cushing brought an example of Riva-Rocci's device to the US, modernized and popularized it within the medical community.

Further improvement came in 1905 when Russian physician Nikolai Korotkov included diastolic blood pressure measurement following his discovery of "Korotkoff sounds".

William A. Baum invented the Baumanometer brand in 1916,[5] while working for The Life Extension Institute which performed insurance and employment physicals.

Manual meters are best used by trained practitioners, and, while it is possible to obtain a basic reading through palpation alone, this yields only the systolic pressure.

[17] Recently, a group of researchers at Michigan State University developed a smartphone based device that uses oscillometry to estimate blood pressure.

[18][19] The oscillometric method of detection used gives blood pressure readings that differ from those determined by auscultation, and vary according to many factors, such as pulse pressure, heart rate and arterial stiffness,[20] although some instruments are claimed also to measure arterial stiffness, and some can detect irregular heartbeats.

With a manual instrument, listening with a stethoscope to the brachial artery, the examiner slowly releases the pressure in the cuff at a rate of approximately 2 mmHg per heart beat.

In veterinary medicine, auscultation is rarely of use, and palpation or visualization of pulse distal to the sphygmomanometer is used to detect systolic pressure.