Dr. von Recklinghausen

[Maleme]

This is an Oscillotonometer invented by the great Dr.von Recklinghausen (the same person who identified Neurofibromatosis- a genetically inherited disease in which nerve tissue grows tumors and incidently the same condition that the 'Elephant Man' had and it is sometimes referred to as 'Von Recklinghausen Syndrome') an instrument to measure blood pressure without the use of a Stethoscope.

This is ideal in operating theatres as you can use it away from the actual operating area and therefore not interfere with the operating proceedure. With a normal Blood pressure cuff (and before the introduction of automated machines) you would have to keep pulling back the sterile drapes to get to the brachiel artery with your Stethoscope decontaminating the area and really annoying the Surgeon! This illiminates that proceedure as the Oscillotonometer stays up at the head-end with the Anaesthetist and connected through the tubing to the B/P cuff, which is fitted in the normal way down on the arm.

Now believe it or not we were still using these in the early 1990's in Operating Theatres here in the UK (I was, in my previous life, an Operating Department Practitioner!) as we did not have enough automated machines to go around 8 Operating Theatres! This is what we used and I hate to think of the D.R.P marked ones that must have now been thrown away!