Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

Some fluctuation of blood pressure during daily activities are usual in all individuals. Blood pressure is lower during sleep at night. But some individuals have more than usual fluctuation in blood pressure. Some have high blood pressure recorded in the doctors office (white coat hypertension) while home recordings are normal. Studies have shown that it is the average blood pressure which is more important than the single clinic recording of blood pressure. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is a tool to measure average blood pressure.

Those who have blood pressure elevation only when at the doctors clinic tend to have normal average blood pressure and have good health. Those who lack the normal dip in blood pressure at night (non-dippers) are also abnormal. Target organ damage (brain, heart, kidneys) tends to be more in those with high average blood pressure. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring device measures blood pressure at preset intervals and records it in a digital memory.

The values and analysis report can be printed out the next day after completion of the recording. Device will have a blood pressure cuff to be applied over the arm which has a sensor. It is inflated intermittently for blood pressure measurement by the device. Care has to be taken not to move the arm while the cuff is inflating and deflating so as to prevent errors in measurement.