These sounds are called Korotkoff sounds believed to be caused mainly by blood jetting through the partly occluded vessel. The jet causes turbulence in the vessel beyond the cuff, and this sets up the vibrations heard through the stethoscope.
What does a Korotkoff sound mean in medical terms?
Korotkoff sounds are blood flow sounds that healthcare providers observe while taking blood pressure with a sphygmomanometer over the brachial artery in the antecubital fossa. These sounds appear and disappear as the blood pressure cuff is inflated and deflated. Blood Pressure and Korotkoff Sounds Audio.
What is a Kelvin Korotkoff sound?
Korotkoff sounds are produced underneath the distal half of the blood pressure cuff. 17 The sounds appear when cuff pressures are between systolic and diastolic blood pressure, because the underlying artery is collapsing completely and then reopening with each heartbeat.
How to listen to Korotkoff Blood Pressure Sounds?
Blood Pressure and Korotkoff Sounds Audio 1 Inflate the cuff by pressing the 'Inflate Cuff' button several times 2 Deflate the cuff by selecting one of the 'Open Valve' settings 3 Close the valve 4 Read the blood pressure values while listening for Korotkoff Sounds 5 Switch between dial and mercury sphygmomanometers More ...
What are the phases of Korotkoff sounds?
There are five distinct phases of Korotkoff sounds: Phase 1: A sharp tapping. This is the first sound heard as the cuff pressure is released. This sound provides the systolic pressure reading. Phase 2: A swishing/whooshing sound.
What are Korotkoff sounds?
Korotkoff sounds are produced underneath the distal half of the blood pressure cuff. The sounds appear when cuff pressures are between systolic and diastolic blood pressure, because the underlying artery is collapsing completely and then reopening with each heartbeat.
What does the first korotkoff sound indicate?
Korotkoff sounds phases: Phase 1 - a sharp tapping sound, the first sound heard after releasing the pressure on the blood pressure cuff. The pressure at which this sound is audible indicates the systolic blood pressure.
Is the korotkoff sound the same as heart sounds?
Korotkoff sounds are not the same thing as the heart beat or the pulse. They disappear as the cuff is inflated and reappear as the cuff is deflated. They also cannot be heard when the cuff is fully deflated because unobstructed and healthy blood flow is silent.
Why are Korotkoff sounds important?
The Korotkoff sounds are used mainly to detect the values of systolic B.P. and diastolic B.P. This is done by noting the levels at which the Korotkoff sounds initially appear and then disappear respectively. The intermediate Korotkoff sounds are generally ignored in routine studies.
Why do Korotkoff sounds happen?
Korotkoff sounds are generated when a blood pressure cuff changes the flow of blood through the artery. These sounds are heard through either a stethoscope or a doppler that is placed distal to the blood pressure cuff.
Why do you hear Korotkoff sound at systolic BP?
The cuff pressure is slowly decreased. At the point where the systolic pressure exceeds the cuff pressure, the Korotkoff sounds are first heard and blood passes in turbulent flow through the partially constricted artery. Korotkoff sounds will continue to be heard as the cuff pressure is further lowered.
Are Korotkoff sounds high or low frequency?
The common viewpoint is that the stethoscope bell would perform better in recording Korotkoff sounds with a low frequency range, whereas the stethoscope diaphragm would perform better with a high frequency range 5,6.
How do you say Korotkoff?
Phonetic spelling of Korotkoff. ko-rotkof-f. k-oy-r-oy-t-oy-f. ... Meanings for Korotkoff. Toni di korotkoff per la rilevazione della pressione arteriosa tramite sfigmomanometro. ... Translations of Korotkoff. Russian : Короткова
What is the first sound you hear when you release the pressure on the blood pressure cuff?
This first sound is the systolic blood pressure, the point when doctors or nurses check the gauge or meter for a reading. It's the 120 if your blood pressure is 120 over 80. It represents the heart contracting, pushing the blood out against the artery in that arm.
Which Korotkoff sounds phases are used to determine blood pressure?
K-1 (Phase 1): The appearance of the clear "tapping" sounds as the cuff is gradually deflated. The first clear "tapping" sound is defined as the systolic pressure. K-2 (Phase 2): The sounds in K-2 become softer and longer and are characterized by a swishing sound since the blood flow in the artery increases.
When measuring blood pressure at which point do you hear the first sounds of Korotkoff?
systolic pressureAt the point where the systolic pressure exceeds the cuff pressure, the Korotkoff sounds are first heard and blood passes in turbulent flow through the partially constricted artery. Korotkoff sounds will continue to be heard as the cuff pressure is further lowered.
How do you read Korotkoff sounds?
These sounds are called Korotkoff sounds and vary in quality from tapping, swooshing, muffled sounds, and silence. The first Korotkoff sound is the systolic pressure, and the diastolic pressure is when the Korokoff sounds go silent.
What is Korotkoff sound and what does it indicate?
Korotkoff sounds refer to the pulsating sounds heard through a stethoscope when a medical provider checks blood pressure. The timing and quality of...
What are the five korotkoff sounds?
The five phases of Korotkoff sounds are used to determine someone's blood pressure. Phase 1 is a sharp tapping sound and indicates the systolic blo...
When the sounds of Korotkoff disappear, what blood pressure does this represent?
Korotkoff sounds refer to the sounds heard through a stethoscope when checking blood pressure. As a blood pressure cuff is released, the diastolic...
What causes systolic sound?
Systolic blood pressure is determined using Korotkoff sounds. A blood pressure cuff is pumped high enough to block flow through the brachial artery...
What Are Korotkoff Sounds?
Have you ever wondered what the medical assistant or doctor at your clinic was listening to when they put the stethoscope on your arm and inflate the blood pressure cuff? Does it seem like they listen to a voice inside your arm that is giving them a set of random numbers to declare? Well that number is definitely not random, but what are they listening to, and where does that number it come from?
How many phases of Korotkoff sound are there?
In this lesson you will learn about the five different phases of Korotkoff sounds that can be heard during the process of blood pressure measurement. We will discuss how to identify Korotkoff sounds and how health care professionals use them.
What is the name of the series of sounds that are made by the blood rushing through an artery?
Lesson Summary. In summary, Korotkoff sounds is the name given to the series of sounds that are made by the blood rushing through an artery as it is allowed to slowly open by the deflation of a blood pressure cuff or sphygmomanometer. The sounds are characterized by five distinct phases.
What is the first sound you hear when you take a blood pressure cuff?
The Five Phases. The first sound you hear as the blood pressure cuff deflates, Phase I is a clear, sometimes sharp, tapping sound. This first 'tap' denotes your systolic blood pressure. For most of us, we know this as 'the top number' in your blood pressure reading.
What are the phases of Korotkoff?
The sounds are characterized by five distinct phases. The most important Korotkoff phases are Phase 1 and Phase 5 which determine the systolic and diastolic number that make up your total blood pressure reading. Medical Disclaimer: The information on this site is for your information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
What is the sound of blood pressure?
In 1905 Dr. Nikolai Korotkoff discovered that there are a series of sounds made by the blood pumping through your arteries during blood pressure measurement. He further determined that the changes in these sounds make up several distinct phases that allow healthcare providers to determine your blood pressure and play an important role to cardiac health. This series of sounds is referred to as Korotkoff sounds (sometimes called K sounds), after the doctor who discovered them.
Where is the stethoscope placed to measure blood pressure?
To accurately measure blood pressure using the auscultatory (listening) method, a stethoscope is placed over an artery that has been closed off by an inflated blood pressure cuff, called a sphygmomanometer. The brachial artery, the one on the inside of your arm, opposite your elbow, is the one most commonly used.
What are the sounds used to measure blood pressure?
Korotkoff sounds (KorS) are the audible noises used to measure blood pressure. Throughout the short process of taking a blood pressure measurement, the sounds change a phenomenon that has undergone extensive study. Korotkoff sounds are broken down into five distinct phases, each with a distinct sound and waveform associated with the phase. Phase I has a clear tapping tone. Phase II is associated with a softening of the tapping and a swishing element. Phase III sounds like phase I but with distinct sharpening. Phase IV is noted to have abrupt muffling of the sounds, followed by Phase V which is the cessation of all sounds. When measuring blood pressure, a cuff is applied to the upper arm and inflated to the point that blood is no longer able to flow through the brachial artery. When pressure is released to point blood is again able to flow, phase I begins. As pressure continues to decrease the examiner can hear the different phases, ultimately concluding with phase V when no sound is audible. The first sound appears as the pressure approaches systolic blood pressure (SBP) and the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) measurement is by the disappearance of sound.[1] Despite 100 years of debate and research, the underlying physiology of Korotkoff sounds is not fully understood. There are several theories that are prominent in the literature trying to explain the underlying cause of Korotkoff sounds. There are two main schools of thought guiding the research of Korotkoff sounds; the sounds are a result of fluid turbulence or the result of arterial wall oscillations. Adding a layer of complexity, those who test the arterial walls are uncertain what the best method of experimentation is. For example, Dr. Charles Babbs used a primarily mathematical approach to analyze wall motion mechanics, while Drzewiecki et al. used an electrical analogy in attempts to postulate the equations governing the fluid dynamics and nonlinear compliance of arterial segments. While there are many ideas, two commonly speculated theories for the causation of the sounds heard in stethoscopes will be briefly discussed here. [2]
How to measure blood pressure with a stethoscope?
The medical practice of measuring blood pressure by constricting the upper arm and listening with a stethoscope to assess when the first sound and final sounds are audible dates back over 100 years ago. This method is still considered the gold standard for noninvasive blood pressure measurement. While there have been advancements in the technique for upper arm constriction, the quality of stethoscopes, and most recently fully automatic blood pressure devices – the overall process has not changed significantly. The discovery and utilization of Korotkoff sounds (KorS) are what allows physicians to check patient blood pressures and provide appropriate medical treatments. Understanding the underlying physiology and proper measurement techniques are important for quality patient care and appropriate medical therapy.
How do you hear Korotkoff sounds?
These sounds are heard through either a stethoscope or a doppler that is placed distal to the blood pressure cuff. Please enable JavaScript to continue using this application. Log In Join Ausmed .
What is the first sound heard when the blood pressure cuff is released?
These sounds are heard through either a stethoscope or a doppler that is placed distal to the blood pressure cuff. There are five distinct phases of Korotkoff sounds: Phase 1: A sharp tapping. This is the first sound heard as the cuff pressure is released. This sound provides the systolic pressure reading.
What is phase 2 of diastolic cuff?
Phase 2: A swishing/whooshing sound. Swishing sounds as the blood flows through blood vessels as the cuff is deflated. Phase 3: A thump (softer than phase 1). Intense thumping sounds that are softer than phase 1 as the blood flows through the artery but the cuff pressure is still inflated to occlude flow during diastole.
What are the two sounds that Korotkoff describes?
The first Korotkoff sound is the snapping sound first heard at the systolic pressure. The second sounds are the murmurs heard for most of the area between the systolic and diastolic pressures. The third and the fourth sounds appear at pressures within 10 mm Hg above the diastolic blood pressure, ...
Why is it important to understand Korotkoff sounds?
An understanding of these phenomena is important not only to define the origin of Korotkoff sounds, but also to determine the relations between arterial blood pressure and external cuff pressure. It also sheds new light on a related problem of stability of blood flow in stenotic arteries.
What is the sound of a stethoscope?
The sounds detected by the stethoscope in the auscultatory blood pressure measurement, known as Korotkoff sounds, are used to define systalic (high value) and diastolic (low value) pressures inside the arterial system.
How did Nikolai Korotkoff improve the cuff deflation method?
Russian army surgeon Nikolai Korotkoff improved Riva-Rocci’s method by discovering a more accurate pressure marker during cuff deflation. Rather than looking for the cessation of radial pressure, Korotkoff discovered that systolic pressure coincided with the beginning of sound heard with a stethoscope below the cuff and that diastolic pressure corresponded with the end of sound. He verified through canine experiments that these sounds, later called Korotkoff sounds, were locally generated by blood vessel compression, which he reported in 1905 ( Shevchenko & Tsitlik, 1996 ). Auscultation is still considered the reference standard for noninvasive BP measurement.
What is the fifth Korotkoff sound?
The fifth Korotkoff sound is silence as the cuff pressure drops below the diastolic pressure. Traditionally, the systolic blood pressure is taken to be the pressure at which the first Korotkoff sound is first heard and the diastolic blood pressure is the pressure at which the fourth Korotkoff sound is just barely audible.
Why does my cuff make a thumping sound?
As the pressure in the cuff is allowed to fall further, thumping sounds continue to be heard as long as the pressure in the cuff is between the systolic and diastolic pressures, as the arterial pressure keeps on rising above and dropping back below the pressure in the cuff.
What is the fourth phase of Korotkoff?
The fourth phase of Korotkoff sound is an abrupt fall in sound level and is sometimes taken as representing diastolic pressure, although the final loss of all sound (fifth phase of Korotkoff) is more widely accepted as indicating diastolic pressure.
Korotkoff Sounds Definition
Korotkoff sounds are blood flow sounds that healthcare providers observe while taking blood pressure with a sphygmomanometer over the brachial artery in the antecubital fossa. These Korotkoff sounds appear and disappear as the blood pressure cuff is inflated and deflated.
Authors and Reviewers
Authored by Dr. Jonathan Keroes, MD and David Lieberman, Developer, Virtual Cardiac Patient. Medically reviewed by Dr. Barbara Erickson, PhD, RN, CCRN. Last Update: 12/06/2021
