hot ot uise a traditional blood pressure monity

The accuracy of devices for measurement of blood pressure should not be judged on the sole basis of claims from manufacturers, which can be extravagant. If a device is inaccurate, attention to the detail of measurement methods is of little relevance. The NICE recommendation is based not only on the large irrefutable evidence base that ambulatory blood pressure measurement is superior to all other measurement techniques for the diagnosis and management of patients with hypertension but also on the fact that it been shown to be a more cost-effective technique than either conventional measurement or self-measurement of blood pressure.Īn accurate device is fundamental to all measurements of blood pressure. However, this criticism has been addressed with publication of the recommendations of the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) in August 2011, which states that ambulatory blood pressure measurement ‘should be implemented for the routine diagnosis of hypertension in primary care’ ( Figure 4.1).

Clinical practice has been criticised for ignoring scientific evidence and thereby perpetuating a measurement technique that is likely to be misleading. It is salutary to reflect that since Riva-Rocci and Korotkoff introduced the technique, we have landed men on the moon, encircled Mars, invented the automobile and airplane and, most importantly, revolutionised the technology of science with the microchip. Despite being prone to inaccuracy because of inattention to the requirements needed to obtain accurate measurement, this technique has survived largely unchanged for over 100 years. Traditionally, blood pressure has been assessed with the auscultatory technique introduced into clinical medicine at the end of the nineteenth century.

Advances in technology and blood pressure measurement

Hot ot uise a traditional blood pressure monity