What is ambulatory blood pressure monitoring? Cardiology Basics

What is ambulatory blood pressure monitoring? Cardiology Basics Usually blood pressure is measured with two or three recordings in the clinic or at the bedside. Blood pressure is known to fluctuate throughout the day depending on activities and stress. So, a recording from the clinic may not reflect the average blood pressure during a 24 hour period. Studies have shown that average daily blood pressure is more important than single recordings in deciding the target organ damage due to hypertension. In ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, a blood pressure cuff applied to the arm is automatically inflated and deflated periodically by a battery driven device attached to the belt. Recordings may be programmed at 15-30 minute intervals. Intervals at night may be programmed higher to facilitate sleep. After a 24 hour period, the device is removed and connected to the computer with ambulatory blood pressure monitoring software. The system gives a computer analysis and print out of the average daily blood pressure, average day time blood pressure and average nighttime blood pressure. Heart rate and blood pressure trends may also be printed. As per the guidelines of the American Heart Association, confirming of a diagnosis of hypertension by ambulatory monitoring is strongly recommended. In most persons the systolic blood pressure decreases 10% to 20% during sleep. They are called “dippers”. There are also “non-dippers” in whom blood pressure does not decrease during sleep an...
Source: Cardiophile MD - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs