• Bruce H Friedman, Israel C Christie, Stephanie L Sargent, and James B Weaver.
• Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0436, USA. bhfriedm@vt.edu
• J Psychosom Res. 2004 Aug 1; 57 (2): 119-21.

ObjectiveMany blood pressure (BP) methods common in psychosomatic research have salient limitations, including subject discomfort, sampling limits, and measurement validity concerns. This study examines the utility of the Vasotrac APM 205 BP monitor, which works via continuous nonocclusive compression and decompression of the radial artery, primarily in regard to its intrusiveness.MethodPerceptions of the device were rated by 62 university students (31 female, 31 male) in a study involving continuous BP monitoring during an affect induction and film viewing. The rating scale included items assessing how comfortable and distracting the device was, and various sensation descriptors that were combined to yield compression and pain indices.ResultsComfort, distractibility, and compression ratings clustered around the neutral midpoint of the 11-point scale (overall M=4.7), and pain trended toward the not at all anchor (M=2.2).ConclusionsResponses indicate the Vasotrac is nonintrusive during extended wear. Its sampling rate far exceeds that of ausculatory and oscillometric methods, and so it may offer further reliability and validity benefits for BP measurement.

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