<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article is an orphan, as no other articles link to it . Please introduce links to this page from related articles; try the Find link tool for suggestions . (September 2015) </Td> </Tr> <P> An auscultatory gap is a period of diminished or absent Korotkoff sounds during the manual measurement of blood pressure . The improper interpretation of this gap may lead to blood pressure monitoring errors: namely, an underestimation of systolic blood pressure and / or an overestimation of diastolic blood pressure . In order to correct for an auscultatory gap the radial pulse should be monitored by palpation . It is therefore recommended to palpate and auscultate when manually recording a patient's blood pressure . Typically the blood pressure obtained via palpation is around 10 mmHg lower than the pressure obtained via auscultation . In general, the examiner can avoid being confused by an auscultatory gap by always inflating a blood pressure cuff to 20 - 40 mmHg higher than the pressure required to occlude the brachial pulse . </P> <P> There is evidence that auscultatory gaps are related to carotid atherosclerosis and to increased arterial stiffness in hypertensive patients, independent of age . Another cause is believed to be venous congestion within the limb that is being used for the measurement . Although these observations need to be confirmed prospectively, they suggest that auscultatory gaps may have prognostic relevance . </P>

When is the ausculatory gap heard in some patients
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