Non invasive blood pressure monitoring

Non invasive blood pressure monitoring

Non invasive blood pressure monitoring is now common place in intensive care units and emergency departments. Most cardiac monitors also incorporate NIBP in addition to ECG and pulse oximetry monitoring. Automatic measurements can be made at programmable preset interval. Measurement can also be initiated manually at the bedside when additional measurements are needed. Most NIBP monitors use the oscillometric method of blood pressure measurement.

The device automatically inflates the cuff and measures the blood pressure while deflating it. Systolic, diastolic and mean values are displayed on the monitor after the measurement. The measurements are made based on the oscillations of cuff pressure during the cardiac cycle. In general NIBP correlates well with invasive blood pressure. But fallacies may occur in case of poor peripheral circulation. An improper cuff size to arm ratio can also lead to erroneous values.