Premium
The Keeler Pulsair air impulse tonometer Comparison with the Perkins hand‐held applanation tonometer for peri‐operative measurement of intra‐ocular pressure
Author(s) -
BRICKER S. R. W.,
McGALLIARD J. N.,
MOSTAFA S. M.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
anaesthesia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.839
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1365-2044
pISSN - 0003-2409
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2044.1990.tb14501.x
Subject(s) - medicine , goldmann applanation tonometer , applanation tonometry , ophthalmology , anesthesia , intraocular pressure , blood pressure , arterial stiffness
Summary The Keeler Pulsair is a noncontact tonometer which can be used by those without specialist ophthalmic training. The instrument was compared, in a series of 30 patients in whom a total of 150 readings were taken, in respect of accuracy, ease and speed of use, and acceptability to patients, with the Perkins hand‐held applanation tonometer. There was good correlation between measurements obtained with the two instruments: r = 0.92, (p < 0.001); the Pulsair was described as easy to use in 87% of subjects, and no patient found the procedure unpleasant. The median times taken for Pulsair measurements were 7 (range 4–14) seconds for a single reading in conscious patients, and 11 (range 4–29) seconds for four readings in anaesthetised patients. These times were significantly quicker than those recorded with the Perkins tonometer which were 83 (range 66–138) seconds and 20 (range 8–45) seconds respectively (p < 0.001). We conclude that the Pulsair is suitable for use by those who are not ophthalmologists for the rapid measurement of intra‐ocular pressure changes during anaesthesia.