During auscultatory blood pressure measurement, the diastolic pressure is recorded at the moment when the last Korotkoff sound is heard.

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Multiple Choice

During auscultatory blood pressure measurement, the diastolic pressure is recorded at the moment when the last Korotkoff sound is heard.

The measurement relies on how Korotkoff sounds change as you release pressure from the cuff. You hear a first tapping as the cuff pressure passes the systolic value. As you continue to deflate, the sounds persist but become softer and then eventually disappear. The diastolic pressure is the cuff pressure at which those sounds stop, meaning the last audible Korotkoff sound marks the end of the auditory signs of flow. In many standard methods, the precise diastolic value is recorded at that moment of disappearance. Some guidelines also note a muffling phase before loss of sound (phase IV), but the conventional marker for diastolic pressure is the disappearance of sounds, i.e., the last sound heard.

The measurement relies on how Korotkoff sounds change as you release pressure from the cuff. You hear a first tapping as the cuff pressure passes the systolic value. As you continue to deflate, the sounds persist but become softer and then eventually disappear. The diastolic pressure is the cuff pressure at which those sounds stop, meaning the last audible Korotkoff sound marks the end of the auditory signs of flow. In many standard methods, the precise diastolic value is recorded at that moment of disappearance. Some guidelines also note a muffling phase before loss of sound (phase IV), but the conventional marker for diastolic pressure is the disappearance of sounds, i.e., the last sound heard.

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