The accurate measurement of blood pressure is essential for the diagnosis and management of hypertension, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, according to an updated American Heart Association scientific statement on blood pressure measurement in humans, published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension.
The accurate measurement of blood pressure is essential for the diagnosis and management of hypertension, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, according to an updated American Heart Association scientific statement on blood pressure measurement in humans, published in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension.
The statement, which updates a previous statement on the topic published in 2005, provides an overview of what is currently known about blood pressure measurement. and supports recommendations in the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Management of High Blood Pressure
The auscultatory method – where a healthcare provider uses a blood pressure cuff, a stethoscope and a mercury sphygmomanometer (device that measures blood pressure) – has been the gold standard for office blood pressure measurement for several decades. The mercury sphygmomanometer has a simple design and is not subject to substantial variation across models made by different manufacturers. However, mercury devices are no longer being used due to environmental concerns about mercury.
“Many oscillometric devices, which use an electronic pressure sensor within the blood pressure cuff, have been validated (checked for accuracy) which allow for accurate blood pressure measurement in the healthcare office settings while reducing human errors associated with the auscultatory approach,” said Paul Muntner, Ph.D., chair of the writing group for the scientific statement.
Read more at American Heart Association
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