Where should the BP cuff arrow go?

That all sounds extremely technical !!

My Omron machine has a line marked on the cuff with a diagram showing that the line should be lined up with the index finger if your arm is out straight. There's nothing about any horizontal lines on my machine. I think it's blood pressure monitoring for dummies - no stethoscopes involved. It works fine though.

Ditto. I agree with Jane and take deep controlled breaths in and out, relaxed and with both feet flat on the floor. No radio, TV or conversation!

I did a minor search about blood pressure cuffs and proper use; I found the following teaching module from Wayne State University. Wayne State University is in Detroit, Michigan of the United States.

http://healthcaresciencesocw.wayne.edu/vs/6_1.htm

I hope this answers your questions and gives some insight into how the blood pressure cuff should be applied.

or eating or drinking either ! Take it twice, 2mins apart and record both. I do it first thing in the morning and during the evening and it's usually less in the evening. If you do it for several days, ideally a week, then take an average of the lot. I think they tell you to disregard the first day but I'm not sure why.

This is the best answer after asking around a lot:

Hello Lynwood,

Thank you for your question. You are correct that the bladder should be centered over the brachial artery and that the brachial artery is on the inner portion (medial) of the upper arm; between the bicep and tricep. For blood pressure cuffs intended for clinical use on humans there are rules for the artery marker that are stipulated in guidelines and standards adopted by government bodies, such as the FDA in the United States, and the European Commission in Europe.

Both the U.S. and European regulations require that the artery marker refer only to placement of the bladder over the brachial artery—never placement of the stethoscope. However, if a clinician chooses to place the stethoscope just under the edge of the cuff over the brachial artery, then of course the stethoscope location will coincide with the artery marker. So to summarize, if the cuff is placed correctly 1”-2” above the elbow, the artery marker should be on the inside of the upper arm.

The artery marker on all SunTech blood pressure cuffs is located on the center of the cuff bladder (not the center of the entire cuff) to ensure that the cuff bladder is centered on the brachial artery. It is very important to think of the blood pressure cuff not just as a tourniquet used to occlude the brachial artery, but also as an important sensor used to sense minute changes in pressure within the artery once blood flow resumes.

As you have correctly observed, correct cuff placement is critical to obtaining an accurate blood pressure, and that rule applies to automated blood pressure devices as well as traditional auscultatory sphygmomanometers.

Kent Lupino & Denise Witman, Product Managers at SunTech Medical