In 2005, the American Heart Association released updated recommendations for blood pressure monitoring to ensure accurate and consistent measurements. Numerous factors including body position, arm position, inter-arm differences, cuff size and cuff placement can affect the reading.
For their study, researchers compared 40 patients’ blood pressure readings, which were obtained by the traditional method and the AHA-recommended method. The researchers produced two medical profile summaries for each technique used. These profiles were then reviewed by three physicians who provided hypothetical hypertension treatment recommendations.
The researchers found that overall, individual blood pressure measurements varied greatly between the two methods. A majority of patients (93 percent) had a significant difference between the two readings, with implications for potential cardiovascular complications.
The researchers also observed, out of ten possible errors (as defined by the AHA), the average number of errors per patient during the traditional assessment was four. The most common technical error was the absence of measurements on both arms.
According to the hypertension medication treatment decisions provided by the three physicians, 45 percent of patients would have received different treatments based on their two blood pressure measurements.
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