How do Blood Pressure monitors work?
A proper scientific name for a blood pressure monitoring device is sphygmomanometer.
For many decades, physicians used a manually inflated air-bladder cuff and a listening device called stethoscope to listen to arterial wall sounds. This is known as auscultatory method of measuring blood pressure. Using this method required some practice and it was typically performed by trained medical practitioners.
Recent advances in medical technology paved way for inexpensive, easy-to-use, digital BP monitors that anyone could use in the comfort of their homes without specialized knowledge or training.
A digital BP monitor uses an inflatable air-bladder cuff, a battery-powered air pump and a pressure sensor for sensing arterial wall vibrations to measure blood pressure in an artery. This is known as oscillometric method.
