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Known Blood Pressure Thing

 A device with which to test your sphygmomanometer
  (+12)(+12)
(+12) 		  [vote for,
against]

When you buy a home blood pressure meter and use it, you don't know how accurate it is. It could be overstating your blood pressure by 15 points. Cheap ones that work around the wrist or finger are notoriously inaccurate. Even that would be fine, if only you knew by how much to adjust the score.

Ideally, you'd also have something with a known "blood pressure": essentially a tube with an electronic pulse and internal liquid circulating (novelty ones could be shaped like a life-sized arm and hand with fingers). This thing would be manufactured to be exactly 120/80. You would first apply your sphygmomanometer to the test object, then to yourself and adjust the figure upwards or downwards accordingly.

In fact, they should have one of these at the pharmacy so when you buy a blood pressure monitor, you can calibrate it right there.

—phundug, Apr 09 2007

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       A standard by which to calibrate, traceable to the national standard? I have to vote for this, both because I'm a QA guy and I'm currently battling my BP. I'm at the point where it's get it under control or explode.   

       So: No caffeine, no allowing myself to get upset, and a host of other measures too numerous to mention, all in an effort to avoid prescription medication.
—normzone, Apr 09 2007
   

       Best of luck with it [normzone]. You can do it.
—phundug, Apr 09 2007
   

       There must be some standard with which those drugstore cuffs are calibrated. Gotta be!
—bungston, Apr 09 2007
   

       The device would not have to actually have a "circulating" liquid system...merely a liquid that is in a flexing vessle, rather like a plastic tube of some kind and a little motor operating a very small cam that pushes softly against the vessel thus increases and decreases the volume of the plastic as it applys pressure. The BP cuff would be wrapped around the flex, liquid loaded, vessel and the motor turned on. The BP is taken as the monitor "reads" the high and the low pressure. The low being the relaxed postion and the high being the pressured position...I'll have to build one to test this...not sure what the calibrations would be to get it to 120/80 but I doubt it would be overly complex.
—Blisterbob, Apr 09 2007
   

       what about a device to test to make sure the blood pressure in the known blood pressure thing is accurate? and a device to check that? and a device to check the device that checks that? what about that, HUH? [+]
—lilsis, Apr 09 2007
   


 

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