ABSTRACT
Background : Blood Pressure (BP) measurement is the commonest test performed in any healthcare facility. The same BP cuff is used for measurement of BP in many patients. The BP cuff can get contaminated with microorganisms1. It may become a vector in transmission of communicable and infectious diseases. The Corona Pandemic has highlighted the needs to prevent transmission of infections by taking precautions in health care facilities. Disposable BP cuffs are available in Western Countries. Though they solve the contamination problem effectively, they are very expensive. To overcome the problem of contamination of the BP cuff, we propose to use a very thin plastic paper to cover the arm of the patient, to tie the BP cuff on the plastic paper so that the cuff does not come in contact with the patient’s body. Aim : To validate the accuracy of the BP measured after tying the cuff in such non contact manner. Settings and Design: The study was carried out at Dr Rajeev Raut Eye Clinic with consent obtained from Ethics Committee. 50 patients underwent BP measurement in supine position with and without the plastic wrap around the arm. The results of BP measurements thus obtained were statistically analysed. Results : The BP measurement obtained with the wrap and without the wrap were not found to be statistically significantly different. Conclusions : The BP measurements obtained using a Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) cling film wrap covering the arm are similar to those obtained without the use of the wrap. However, further studies are needed to prove the reduction in contamination rate.