A sling for use with a noninvasive blood pressure monitor which is designed to minimize contact by external objects with an inflatable cuff which surrounds a patient's limb during blood pressure measurements. The sling comprises an arm rest having supporting straps for supporting the patient's limb at at least two locations so as to define an unsupported space therebetween adapted to accept the inflatable cuff such that the inflatable cuff does not touch the straps or external objects. Preferably, the sling comprises two braces having bottom surfaces to serve as a base for the sling, linking members having ends which are attached to the braces so that the linking members extend between the braces, and two supporting straps, attached to and extending between two linking members, for supporting the patient's arm. The straps are positioned adjacent the braces so that a gap is provided between the straps for placement of the inflatable cuff such that the inflatable cuff does not touch the straps or external objects. The linking members are adjustable to accommodate patients' arms of various sizes. The components of the sling may be made completely out of foam material, so long as an opening for the blood pressure cuff is provided.
A signal enhancing and artifact reducing blood pressure cuff for use during the non-invasive measurement of blood pressure. The non-invasive blood pressure cuff has an inflatable bladder and a semi-rigid insert disposed over an outer side of the inflatable bladder for enhancing a blood pressure signal by reducing blood pressure signal attenuation. The semi-rigid insert also acts to reduce the effects of external artifact on the inflatable bladder of the blood pressure cuff. The blood pressure cuff has the insert disposed over the outer side of the inflatable bladder to substantially cover the inflatable bladder when the cuff is wrapped around the limb of the subject. An optional damping device made of an impact absorbing material may be disposed over the outer side of the insert to further reduce the effects of external artifacts. A pocket may be formed over the outer side of the cuff to hold the insert. The semi-rigid insert is disposed in the pocket so that it substantially covers the inflatable bladder of the cuff. The damping device that is used in a blood pressure cuff having a pocket may be either a solid damping material, a liquid, or a gas damping material, such as air.
