sphygmomanometer

the instrument used to measure arterial BLOOD PRESSURE . An inflatable rubber tube is put around the arm and inflated until the blood flow in a large ARTERY stops. This pressure is taken as the systolic pressure (i.e. the pressure at each heart beat). The pressure is then released slowly and the point at which the sound heard in the artery changes suddenly is taken as the diastolic pressure (see DIASTOLE ).