Comparability of oscillometric to simultaneous auscultatory blood pressure measurement in children

Objective Uncertainty exists regarding the accuracy of automated blood pressure (BP) measurement in children. We recorded oscillometric waveforms in children, derived oscillometric BPs using two standard algorithms, and compared the results to simultaneous auscultation. Patients and methods Twenty children aged 2–12 years were recruited from a tertiary-care Pediatric Nephrology Clinic. Sex, height, weight, arm circumference, history of hypertension, and clinic BP were recorded. Two, simultaneously measured, oscillometric and auscultatory BP readings were obtained 30–60 s apart. The first reading was discarded and, the second, used for analyses. Fixed-ratio and slope-based algorithms were used for BP derivation. Results Mean age was 7.95±2.82 years, 40% were female, mean arm circumference was 21.86±4.06 cm, and 50% had hypertension or a history of hypertension. Mean auscultatory BP for all participants (systolic±SD/diastolic±SD) was 93.40±11.80/50.50±9.04 mmHg, oscillometric fixed-ratio BP was 99.20±11.90/57.35±7.15 mmHg and oscillometric slope-based algorithm was 91.60±13.94/60.65±7.71 mmHg. Compared to auscultation, the fixed-ratio method differed by 5.80±12.72/6.85±7.51 mmHg (P=0.06 and
Source: Blood Pressure Monitoring - Category: Cardiology Tags: Analytical and Statistical Methods Source Type: research