A finding present in one fifth of elderly patients with hypertension. It consists of a temporary disappearance
of Korotkoff sounds after the systolic reading (and during phase II Korotkoff), with sudden reappearance
of sounds just above diastolic values. This may underestimate the systolic pressure, unless one
simultaneously palpates the radial pulse (which persists throughout the “gap”). The phenomenon was
first described by Krylov in 1906, just a year after Korotkoff’s initial report. Its potential clinical
relevance was then suggested by Cook and Taussig in 1917.
of Korotkoff sounds after the systolic reading (and during phase II Korotkoff), with sudden reappearance
of sounds just above diastolic values. This may underestimate the systolic pressure, unless one
simultaneously palpates the radial pulse (which persists throughout the “gap”). The phenomenon was
first described by Krylov in 1906, just a year after Korotkoff’s initial report. Its potential clinical
relevance was then suggested by Cook and Taussig in 1917.