Ideal conditions for correctly implementing the recommended blood pressure measurement technique—sitting with legs uncrossed, back supported, arm supported, and cuff positioned at heart level in the correct size¹—do not always prevail in everyday clinical practice.²
However, these are factors that can significantly influence blood pressure measurements. A randomized study³ compared three different arm positions when measuring blood pressure in a seated position under otherwise identical conditions. The arm position alone was found to significantly alter blood pressure readings.
The right arm was either placed on a table (correct position), rested on the lap, or hung down. Both when the arm was resting in the lap (average blood pressure result: 130/78 mmHg) and even more so when the arm was hanging down (133/78 mmHg), higher values were measured than when the arm was supported (126/74 mmHg) on the table. The differences were significant for both systolic (1st value) and diastolic (2nd value) blood pressure.
Possible consequences of measurement errors include inaccurate classification and unnecessary treatments.² According to the study authors, the differences identified could lead to a significant number of overdiagnoses.³ This highlights the importance of using the right measurement technology.
- McEVOY, J.W. et al.: Eur. Heart J. 2024; 45: 3912-4018
- WILLIAMS, B. et al.: Eur. Heart J. 2018; 30: 3021-104
LIU, H. et al.: JAMA Intern. - Med., online publ. am 7. Okt. 2024; https://a-turl.de/egjy (7 pages)
