The Mercury Sphygmomanometers are a traditional or "old school" blood pressure measuring instrument. The patient is seated next to a table with the arm resting on the table, and an inflated cuff connected to the blood pressure monitor is wrapped around the patient's upper arm.
Below the cuff, on the inside of the elbow, a stethoscope is affixed. The examiner listens to the pulse sounds while air is pushed into the cuff, increasing the pressure around the arm until the blood flow to the arm under examination stops.
The air pressure is then gradually let out by deflating the cuff, and the moment when blood flow is resumed is when the systolic pressure is measured.
Measurement precision is about 3mmHg
Range 0-300mmHg
Sub-division 2mmHg color different mercury valve gauge
Size 22*14 cm bulb PVC or Latex tube with a zinc alloy bladder
PVC cuff size 48*14cm nylon or cotton cuff
The component that is wrapped around the patient's arm is called the cuff. It expands to provide pressure to the arm and reduces blood flow to the measured location.
The bulb is repeatedly squeezed while the cuff is connected to the tube and bulb. This causes air pressure to build up in the cuff. The air is sent to and from the cuff using the tubing.
A valve is located at the base of the tubing, close to the bulb, and it is used to release air to obtain the correct reading gradually.
The Gauge: The gauge displays how much pressure is being applied to the arm to obtain the reading.
The pressure inside the sphygmomanometer cuff is significantly higher than what is typical. The cuff pressure slowly lowers as the valve is opened. Blood starts to flow past the cuff when the cuff's pressure reaches the systolic arterial pressure, causing loud sounds and blood flow turbulence.
These noises are picked up using a stethoscope, and the cuff's pressure is noted. Blood flow sounds will be audible until the cuff's pressure drops below the arterial diastolic pressure. Diastolic pressure is measured as the point at which blood flow ceases.
Any repair should be carried out in an area with excellent ventilation since mercury vapor is hazardous. Mercury should be kept in a plastic bottle with a thin layer of water on top. When cleaning, do not breathe in any black mercuric oxide powder.
Mercury that has turned black - Mercury should have a pure silver color. Mercuric oxide, a dark powder, eventually develops on the surface. A small amount of black powder in the column is irrelevant.
The column and reservoir of the sphygmomanometer should be cleaned, and the mercury should be taken out if there is a significant amount. Lay the machine on its side with the reservoir facing down.
Make sure not to lose the leather disc at the top as you remove the column. To release the mercury, remove the reservoir's top and pour it into a plastic bottle.
The most common type of blood pressure device is a mercury sphygmomanometer, regarded as the gold standard in the medical community. Components of a mercury sphygmomanometer are manually inflating cuffs connected to measuring devices by mercury-infused tubes.
To get accurate readings, it's crucial to set up the equipment upright and place it on a flat surface while using it. These gadgets need to be handled carefully since they are very sensitive. If they are dropped, the mercury inside them could explode, making them dangerous and unusable.
The fact that mercury sphygmomanometers are so simple to use and, with good care, may last a lifetime is their greatest benefit. Without much readjustment, the instrument can offer the most precise readings. However, the usage of mercury sphygmomanometers has been outlawed in several nations.
This is due to the toxicity of their contents, and other sphygmomanometer types are now being used in their place. Sphygmomanometers are reliable instruments that measure blood pressure and are crucial for medical care and scientific study. For a long time, the "gold standard" for blood pressure readings was equipment that registered pressure using a mercury column.
Mercury is harmful, though, and items that contain it are being phased out or outlawed. There are other ways to measure blood pressure, but they need to be validated, maintained, and used by trained professionals. Mercury sphygmomanometers, in particular, may still serve as helpful benchmark instruments for the other types.
