ABSTRACT
The sphygmomanometer is the most important medical instrument you will learn to use in your medical career. UCLA Preventive Cardiology Curriculum: CE Grim, 1991
1. INTRODUCTION
This is perhaps the first time that we are aware of that a text on the diagnosis and treatment of high blood pressure has started off with a chapter on blood pressure measurement. Indeed, many do not discuss clinical blood pressure measurement at all. It is generally assumed that this critical life-saving skill was mastered during basic health care education and is practiced correctly for the rest of a lifetime. However, research has shown that blood pressure measurement is almost never performed according to the guidelines published by the American Heart Association since 1938.1 We and others believe that a major cause of poor blood pressure control around the world is due to a failure to use accurate blood pressure manometers and to follow established measurement guidelines.
