Effect of overcuffing on the accuracy of oscillometric blood pressure measurements.

Overcuffing (using too large a blood pressure [BP] cuff), is known to artificially lower auscultatory BP measurements; however, its effect on oscillometric readings is unclear. The possibility that overcuffing biases oscillometric readings is currently widely disregarded. We sought to confirm that overcuffing lowers auscultatory readings and to assess its effect on oscillometric measurements.