PARTS OF SPHYGMOMANOMETER

A sphygmomanometer, also known as a blood pressure meter, blood

pressure monitor, or blood pressure gauge, is a device used to measure blood
pressure, composed of an inflatable cuff to collapse and then release the artery
under the cuff in a controlled manner,[1] and a mercury or mechanical manometer to
measure the pressure. It is always used in conjunction with a means to determine at
what pressure blood flow is just starting, and at what pressure it is unimpeded.
Manual sphygmomanometers are used in conjunction with a stethoscope.
 A sphygmomanometer consists of an inflatable cuff, a measuring unit
(the mercury manometer, or aneroid gauge), and a mechanism for inflation which
may be a manually operated bulb and valve or a pump operated electrically.

Blood pressure, the pressure at which the blood flows through the vessels of
the body, needs to remain at a healthy level. The normal pressures for the average
adult are around 120/80. Hypertension begins when the numbers rise above the
normal reading. A blood pressure cuff is a fairly simple instrument used to measure
the blood pressure. Some parts of the cuff constrict blood flow to allow other parts to
accurately measure the pressures in the blood vessels.

Cuff
The inflatable cuff, the outer arm jacket piece that fits around the arm, tightens
as the pressure begins to seal the vessels in the arm, bringing the pressure to a key
point for the reading of the systolic, or top number, in the blood pressure reading.
The pressures of the cuff drop when the reading tapers off to the diastolic, or lower
number, the last beat heard through the stethoscope placed over the artery on the
inside of the arm over the elbow.

Rubber Tube
The rubber tube that measures approximately 1/4 inch in diameter connects
to the gauge and cuff. It holds the air as it becomes pumped into the cuff from the
bulb attached to its end piece.

Gauge
The gauge contains the dial with a pointer that indicates the top and bottom
parts of the reading of the blood pressure. The pointer circles around the numbers
on the gauge and visibly depicts the upper and lower numbers as they pertain to the
blood pressure reading.

Bulb
 The squeeze bulb attached to the blood pressure cuff works to pump air into
the cuff. As the bulb is squeezed, air pressure builds up in the cuff, which makes it
tighten around the arm so the gauge can read the blood pressure. The bulb also
contains a pressure release valve that holds the cuff pressure steady, then allows
the person taking the reading to release air pressure.

PARTS OF STETHOSCOPE

Stethoscopes are a vital component in a medical professionals working life.

It allows healthcare providers to listen to and detect potential health problems that
patients may be having.
While the device itself is extremely important for work purposes understanding
the various parts and names of the stethoscope can help you gain a better
appreciation for how it functions and how its put together.
The rest of this article will explain the main components of the stethoscope.
As a quick reference here are the names of the stethoscope parts:
 Eartips
 Eartube
 Tubing
 Headset
 Stem
 Chest-piece
 Diaphram
 Bell
When properly combined together these parts create a functioning stethoscope,
which allows medical professionals to listen to a wide range of sounds so that they
can quickly determine and treat potential medical issues.

Eartips
 The eartips of a stethoscope is the part that goes into the users ear where
they receive the sounds that come from the chest-piece.
The eartips are generally made out of rubber or silicone material and are designed to
create a form fitting seal inside of the ears so that unwanted sounds stay out.
A good pair of comfortable eartips are very important for users who spend a lot of
time checking their patients health with their stethoscopes as it can make all the
difference between a comfortable experience and an irritating or painful one.
All eartips are made with a soft, flexible material that is structured to fit and cradle
the inner ears, a clear whole in the center so that the sound can easily transfer
through them, and either a rigged or smooth interior on the opposite end of the
eartips where the top end of the stethoscopes eartubes slide in.
Due to their small size and inexpensive price eartips are one of the easiest items a
person can replace on a stethoscope to improve their experience, and it can even
add a little increase to the sound quality of the stethoscope.

Eartube
The eartubes are the metal/steel parts of the stethoscope that connect to the
eartips and the synthetic/PVC tubing, which connects to the stem of the chest-piece.
The eartubes are designed to to isolate and transfer sound to the users ears with
minimum quality loss.
These metal/steel eartubes help separate sounds into left and right channels in order
to provide a better sound experience, which allows the user to more easily diagnose
their patients medical condition.
As mentioned previously the bottom section of the eartubes connect to the
stethoscopes tubing line where it receives the incoming sounds.

Tubing
The soft flexible line of the stethoscope is known as its tubing.
The purpose of the tubing is to maintain and transfer the frequency / sound level that
is captured by the diaphram or bell and send it to the eartubes where it can make its
way to the users ears.
Depending on the stethoscopes make and model the tubing may be made with a
single tube or dual lumen tube design that connects to the metal/steel eartubes.
A good stethoscope will usually come with a dual lumen design and tubing that is
sectioned off into left and right hemispheres so that the diaphram/bell sounds can
travel from the head of the device to the users ears with the most accuracy and
acuity.

Headset
The headset is the combined components of the upper half of the stethoscope
which include the eartubes, tension springs and eartips.
All of the components are designed together to form a comfortable alignment in the
users ears and are angled in a way that provides maximum sound quality throughout
the headset.
When viewed from the side the eartips of the headset can be seen pointed toward
the users nose while the eartubes hang back slightly.
This allows sound to flow efficiently into the ear canal so that their is minimal
disturbance from the stethoscope.

Stem
 The stem is basically the metal/steel part of the stethoscope that connects the
stethoscopes tubing to the chest-piece.
Aside from connecting the two components of the stethoscope it also allows the user
to switch/click between the chest-pieces diaphragm and bell by turning the chest-
piece and clicking it into place via the ball bearing.

Chest-piece
The chest-piece or head of the stethoscope is composed of the connected
stem, diaphragm and/or bell.
Depending on the stethoscope it may feature either a single-head or dual head
design that may or may not contain a lower-frequency bell.
As far as function goes the chest-piece part of the stethoscope is used to listen to
patient sounds by placing the diaphram or bell end of the chest-piece on the patients
chest, back or stomach.
Most chest-pieces work best when applied against the patients skin, however some
stronger, high quality stethoscopes may be able to pick up sounds through thin
layers of clothing.

Diaphragm
The diaphragm is the large circular end of the chest-piece.
This side of device allows medical professionals to listen to a wider area of the
patients body and picks up higher frequency sounds than the bell half of the chest-
piece.
Some diaphragms feature a non-chill, hypoallergenic diaphragm in order to ensure
maximum comfort for the patient being observed.

Bell
The bell is the smaller circular end of the chest-piece.
This side of the device focuses on a narrower range listens for lower-frequency
sounds that may not easily be detected by the diaphragm.
As with the diaphragm the bell may also feature a non-chill, hypoallergenic design to
provide patients with additional comfort while they are being listened to.