What is a Korotkov sound?

Korotkov (Korotkoff) sounds are the characteristic sounds heard with a stethoscope over the brachial artery during blood pressure measurement as air is gradually released from the cuff.

These sounds make it possible to determine:

systolic blood pressure,
diastolic blood pressure

These readings are determined from the characteristic changes in the sounds.

The method is still used worldwide and forms the basis of measurements made with mercury and aneroid sphygmomanometers.

Who was Nikolai Korotkov?

Nikolai Sergeyevich Korotkov (1874–1920) was a Russian surgeon.

In 1905, he discovered that blood pressure could be determined accurately by listening to the sounds over the brachial artery.

This discovery revolutionised clinical medicine.

Riva-Rocci’s cuff already existed, but it allowed only the systolic blood pressure to be determined with reasonable accuracy.

Korotkov’s observation also made routine measurement of diastolic blood pressure possible.

For more than 120 years, his method has remained one of the foundations of clinical blood pressure measurement.

Why are Korotkov sounds important?

One of the key foundations of accurate blood pressure measurement

Korotkov sounds are the characteristic sounds heard with a stethoscope over the brachial artery during blood pressure measurement. They enable systolic and diastolic pressure to be determined and have therefore formed the basis of auscultatory blood pressure measurement for more than a century.

The sounds were described in 1905 by the Russian surgeon Nikolai Sergeyevich Korotkov. His discovery remains highly significant, and the method is taught in healthcare education worldwide.

Korotkov or Korotkoff?

Two spellings are found in the literature: Korotkov sounds and Korotkoff sounds. Both terms refer to the same acoustic phenomena heard during blood pressure measurement. The difference arises because several international transliteration standards have been used for Nikolai Korotkov’s name. In modern Hungarian medical literature, the Korotkov sounds form is the most common, while the Korotkoff sounds form also appears in many older books, studies and websites.