Thirty-five years. If you asked me 36 years ago if I would co-own and manage a business this long I would have said you were nuts. I was just 25 when Neal and I cofounded ADC with a whopping $35,000 in start-up capital. We rented a dilapidated 700-square-foot storefront in Copiague, New York, offering 31 items: a selection of leather and nylon EMT holsters and the instruments that go in them.

One of the most important components of a blood pressure instrument is the cuff: the portion that wraps around the patient’s limb and occludes the artery. In automated NIBP, the cuff does double duty, not only imparting air pressure and occluding the artery, but also acting as the “sensor.” In other words, transmitting the vibrations that are the basis for automatic oscillometric measurement.

Although the average price of core diagnostic products is relatively low, you still want to make sure you get your money’s worth. We’ve all learned some hard lessons about buying cheap; yet choosing the highest-priced option isn’t always the solution, either.  We offer some tips to help you make a truly informed purchase decision.