ABSTRACT
Introduction Blood pressure (BP) measurement based on conventional mercury sphygmomanometer and Korotkoff sounds at the brachial artery has been regarded as the gold standard for over a century. Epidemiological studies have established the prognostic value of BP measured by conventional methods. Moreover, therapeutic trials using the conventional method for measuring BP have shown that a reduction in BP is associated with a reduction in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, the methods used for measuring BP are evolving rapidly with the advent of automatic electronic devices and the ‘gold standard’ based on the former has recently been questioned. Manual BP measurement has the disadvantage of being prone to observer bias, error, terminal digit preference, and inadequate or erroneous techniques. Furthermore, with the increasing popularity of the newer electronic devices for BP measuring and the pressure from environmentalists to ban mercury as a toxic substance, mercury sphygmomanometers are gradually phasing out of clinical practice, both from the hospital and doctor’s surgery.
