As the title says. I just learnt how sphygmomanometer works. If it cuts off the blood till I decrease the pressure to the highest blood pressure, then shouldn't it cause serious problems? Even in simole words, heart attack is caused by the blockage of blood flow, isn't it? So is there any possibility that the measuring tool can be injurious? I am not a medical student, just a curious learner. I just thought it would be wise to know everything about it before I actually measure someone's pressure with it
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1 Answer
Heart attacks are caused by reduced or blocked blood flow to the heart, but a sphygmonanometer cuts off the blood flow to the arm (or leg) only. It's not possible it could cause a heart attack directly even if it were left on indefinitely.
However, leaving a BP cuff on for a very long time could cause injury and eventual tissue death in the arm, or possibly the formation of blood clots which could cause a heart attack when the cuff is finally released. (By "long time" I mean hours, not minutes.) Arms and legs can withstand a lack of blood flow for quite a long time, which is why surgeons can stop the blood flow to a limb in order to do surgery on it.
answered Jun 9, 2016 at 14:29
