Indirect blood pressure measurement at the common femoral artery.

In the present study the technique and the reliability of indirect blood pressure measurement at the common femoral level was described. The blood pressure was measured by using a long cuff, which encircled the hips at the level of the groin, and determining the flow signals by Doppler technique applied at the ankle. In order to transmit the cuff pressure to the artery, a slender bag with air, which was a blood pressure cuff used in children, was placed over the common femoral artery under the cuff. A 14 cm. wide cuff-bladder was usually used, but in obese subjects with the size of hips more than 90 cm, a 16 cm. wide cuff-bladder was applied. In patients with collateral vessels around the groin due to the iliac disease, the blood pressure could be measured by placing the Doppler flat probe over the common femoral artery or the collateral vessel. In observation of 24 subjects, a close correlation was obtained between the femoral cuff pressures and common femoral intra-arterial pressures. Furthermore, blood pressure values at the common femoral level measured indirectly showed similar reproducibility as those at the ankle and toe levels.