ABSTRACT
Measurement of blood pressure accurately is imperative in the diagnosis and monitoring of a wide range of clinical conditions. The mercury sphygmomanometer discovered more than 100 years ago, has since been used as the gold standard to record blood pressure. Using the mercury sphygmomanometer requires adequate training and practice, whereas the automated devices are convenient and easier to use. We wanted to compare the readings taken by the manual mercury and the digital sphygmomanometer and determine the variations in the readings if any. MethodsThis cross-sectional study was done in 148 apparently healthy medical students (males n=58, females n=90) (Fig. 1). Written informed consent was taken and the procedure was carried out. Questionnaires were provided to obtain demographic data from students. Blood pressure was recorded in the dominant arm using Pulse Wave 300 NISCO mercury sphygmomanometer, and OMRON HEM-7130 digital sphygmomanometer in the sitting, standing and recumbent posture. Three readings were recorded in each position with an interval of 2 mins., between each recording. The mean of the systolic and diastolic blood pressured was compared between the mercury and digital sphygmomanometer for variations if any. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 22. P value of ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. ResultsIn our study out of the 148 participants 58 were males and 90 were females. The overall mean systolic blood pressure recorded using the mercury sphygmomanometer was found to be 107.59 ± 11.62 mmHg; mean diastolic blood pressure was found to be 68.83 ± 8.91 mmHg; overall mean systolic blood pressure recorded using the digital sphygmomanometer was found to be 107.72 ± 13.36 mmHg and overall mean diastolic blood pressure was found to be 71.4 ± 9.62 mmHg. ConclusionsIn our study no statistically significant difference was found between the BP measurements recorded using the mercury and digital sphygmomanometer (Table. 1, 2). Mercury sphygmomanometer still remains the gold standard in recording blood pressure, and those who are unskilled in recording BP using the standard method could utilize the digital device as it is easier and more convenient.