From Korotkoff and Marey to automatic non-invasive oscillometric blood pressure measurement: does easiness come with reliability?

The auscultatory technique remains the point of reference for the validation of non-invasive blood pressure measurement devices, although the exact origin of the Korotkoff sounds is still debated and comparison with intra-arterial measurement shows limits and pitfalls. Automatic oscillometric devices are now widely used by nurses, physicians, and patients. However, many available devices have not been duly validated. Moreover, they calculate systolic and diastolic blood pressures using undisclosed algorithms. Therefore, these devices are not interchangeable, and their reliability may be questionable in some clinical situations. Nevertheless, oscillometry is increasingly used, beside NIBP, for the assessment of central blood pressure and systemic arterial wall stiffness. Awareness of its limits and causes of error is all the more necessary.

[Toxoplasmosis and rubella in Moroccan women. Results of a serological survey]. / La toxoplasmose et la rubéole chez la femme marocaine. Résultats d'une enquête sérologique.

A prospective sero-immunological enquiry of the rubella and toxoplasmosis immune status of 200 pregnant women in Casablanca (Morocco) revealed that 66,5% are immune to rubella and 51,5% are immune to toxoplasmosis. A study of the relation between the immune status and age shows that serum conversion takes place most frequently between the ages of 21 and 25. 7 women had high levels of anti-toxoplasmosis antibodies. The authors compare their results with those obtained in other regions of Morocco and in other countries. They also present a range of epidemiological and technical correlations. They conclude that the prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis and rubella must be integrated into a national programme of mother-and-child protection, notably by means of obligatory prenatal serological tests and the continued monitoring of those women who are not immune.