High-Visibility Sleeves Dramatically Reduce Blood Pressure Cuff Errors

The study, which evaluated 50 nurses, medical assistants, and technicians, tested the efficacy of the G-SLEEVE®—a wearable cue designed by nurse Gina M. Santosuosso to flag limbs restricted due to lymphedema risk, arteriovenous fistulas, or prior axillary surgery. While electronic documentation remains a standard safety measure, researchers found it often fails to capture attention during the fast-paced bedside workflow.

Anthony Dardano, a reconstructive surgeon with Plastic Surgery Trauma Associates, noted that passive documentation is frequently buried, whereas a physical sleeve provides an immediate, unavoidable alert at the actual point of care. In the simulation, the single error that occurred while a sleeve was present was caught and corrected before cuff inflation. The team emphasizes that this visual tool is intended to complement, rather than replace, existing digital protocols, though further real-world trials are required to confirm these results across broader patient populations.