(HealthDay News) — Blood pressure (BP) cuff size influences the accuracy of BP measurements, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association Epidemiology and Prevention/Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health 2022 Scientific Sessions, held from March 1 to 4 in Chicago.
Tammy M. Brady, M.D., Ph.D., from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and colleagues conducted a randomized crossover trial involving 165 community-dwelling adults (mean age, 55 years) with two sets of triplicate BP measurements using a regular adult cuff and an appropriate cuff based on midarm circumference.
The researchers found that among those who required a small adult cuff, use of a regular cuff resulted in significantly lower readings (systolic BP, −3.8 mm Hg; diastolic BP, −1.5 mm Hg). In contrast, use of a regular cuff was associated with significantly higher readings among persons who required a large or extra-large cuff (systolic BP, 4.8 mm Hg; diastolic BP, 19.7 mm Hg). Overestimation of BP due to undercuffing misclassified 39% of those with hypertension (BP ≥130/80 mm Hg), while overcuffing-linked underestimation of BP missed 22% of those with a hypertensive BP.
“It’s important for healthcare professionals and the public to recognize the importance of cuff size for the clinician’s office, kiosk and home blood pressure measurement,” Brady said in a statement. “For example, cuff size may be even more important in communities with high prevalence of obesity, since large or extra-large cuff sizes may provide more accurate blood pressure readings.”
One author disclosed financial ties to the publishing industry.
