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AMA:  “Accurate and reliable BP measurement is critical for the proper diagnosis and management of hypertension. Understand the ways BP measurement goes wrong and how to address them.”

Blogfinger.net recently posted a series of articles called “Confessions of a High Blood Pressure Doctor.”    This was a 4 part series.    If you have hypertension you might want to look through those BF posts.  You can go to the top of our Blogfinger.net home page and type into the search box in the right upper corner:  ‘CONFESSIONS OF A HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE DOCTOR.”

Part IV is a Q and A which includes some information about accurate BP readings.  The 7 tips below are from the AMA.  Link below is to Part IV:

Part 4 of Blogfinger articles on hypertension.

The graphic above will be easier to read if you click on it.

Medical comments by Paul Goldfinger, MD, FACC.

Finally the medical profession is paying serious attention to the mechanics of obtaining accurate BP readings, but my experiences in doctors’ offices recently shows that there are accuracy issues. The patient doing home BP measurements has a better chance of obtaining useful information:

1. The person obtaining the readings in the doctor’s office often has no idea about the issues such as waiting 5 minutes.
2. Because the first office reading  is often high, a second reading, by the doctor, should be done
3. Cuff size is an important variable.  We used to have 4 different sizes in our office, but now Omron makes a universal cuff which slips on easily and works with most size arms.   Sometimes we ran into patients with massive arms, and we used a thigh cuff for them  (sometimes we want to take a BP in a leg.)
4. Read the tips above since paying attention to those details  will produce more accurate readings and more precise dosing of meds.
5. Don’t take a reading after exercise.  It is normal for the BP to go up during and after exercise when it subsides gradually.  I used to do stress testing myself, and I would monitor BP myself. For someone who is running on a treadmill, having a BP of 170 or even more (systolic) can be normal.
6. Make sure that the Velcro closure of the cuff is on straight or you might get an error message.   Amazingly even a slight deviation may cause an error.
7. Be sure to keep a written record at home and include the 5 minute reading, the time of day, and any special circumstance  (eg  “Just took my BP medication followed by 100 mg of Viagra, and guess what? I found myself on the floor!”)
8. Don’t panic if you get a high reading.  Instead sit and relax for a while and then repeat the reading.   Don’t immediately run to the ER or urgicenter.  If your pressure remains up, call your doctor, and speak to the physician or his assistant.   These things always happen at a bad hour or on the weekend.