Medical illustration showing the arterial pressure (tension). The sphygmomanometer is set up at the level of the arm and takes the arterial pressure (tension) of the arteries of the arm, ie the pressure exerted by the blood pumped by the heart against the walls of the arteries. The stethoscope is not shown. At the top right, the cuff compresses the artery, the pressure in the cuff is higher than the arterial pressure, no noise is perceived in the In the middle, the cuff is deflated slowly, a sound is perceived in the stethoscope, the value of arterial pressure is taken and corresponds to the maximum arterial pressure (systolic) .. At the bottom, the cuff is deflated, the noise in the stethoscope disappears, the measurement is taken which gives the minimum arterial pressure (diastolic).