Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Summer;13(3):51-4.
doi: 10.7812/TPP/09-054.

The importance of accurate blood pressure measurement

Affiliations

The importance of accurate blood pressure measurement

Joel Handler. Perm J. 2009 Summer.
No abstract available

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Proper performance of a sitting blood pressure measurement. Note a proper-size cuff over a bare upper arm, which is positioned at heart level and supported on a table; the patient's back is supported and her feet are on the floor.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Proper measurement of a standing blood pressure requires complete arm support with cuff at heart level. Hold the arm if an adjustable table is unavailable.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Demonstration of relative blood pressure alerting reactions and observer effects, comparing physician and nurse. ΔSBP = change in systolic blood pressure, ΔDBP = change in diastolic blood pressure. Reprinted with permission from Mancia G, Parati G, Pomidossi G, Grassi G, Casadei R, Zanchetti A. Alerting reaction and rise in blood pressure during measurement by physician and nurse. Hypertension 1987 Feb;9(2):209–15.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
What is wrong with the blood pressure measurement technique in this picture? Can you list all ten errors? (Key to answers on page 54.)

References

    1. Lewington S, Clarke R, Qizilbash N, Peto R, Collins R. Prospective Studies Collaboration. Age-specific relevance of usual blood pressure to vascular mortality: a meta-analysis of individual data for one million adults in 61 prospective studies. Lancet. 2002 Dec 14;360(9349):1903–13. Erratum in: Lancet 2003 Mar 22; 361 (9362):1060. - PubMed
    1. Jones DW, Appel LJ, Sheps SG, Roccella EJ, Lenfant C. Measuring blood pressure accurately: new and persistent challenges. JAMA. 2003 Feb 26;289(8):1027–30. - PubMed
    1. Le Pailleur C, Helft G, Landais P, et al. The effects of talking, reading, and silence on the “white coat” phenomenon in hypertensive patients. Am J Hypertens. 1998 Feb;11(2):203–7. - PubMed
    1. Reeves RA. The rational clinical examination. Does this patient have hypertension?. How to measure blood pressure. JAMA. 1995 Apr 19;273(15):1211–8. - PubMed
    1. Cushman WC, Cooper KM, Horne RA, Meydrech EF. Effect of back support and stethoscope head on seated blood pressure determinations. Am J Hypertens. 1990 Mar;3(3):240–1. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources