Rules for Blood Pressure Measurement. Do you know them?

Measuring blood pressure may seem simple. In general, that is true. However, there are situations when knowing a few basic rules helps a lot! Accurate blood pressure measurement protects you from consequences caused by a wrong diagnosis, unnecessary treatment, or insufficient treatment. You should know that untreated or poorly treated high blood pressure (hypertension) can lead to serious complications!

Several factors affect the accuracy of blood pressure measurement: the type of device, the cuff size, the body position during measurement, and the activity while measuring.

Device selection

• Upper-arm devices are more accurate and their readings are accepted in medical practice.
• Wrist devices can give values that differ from upper-arm measurements. For this reason, this type of device is not accepted in medical practice or is accepted only in certain cases, e.g., when measurement on the upper arm is not possible.

Cuff size

• The size is appropriate if the cuff encircles the arm/wrist one and a half times.
• Inappropriate and leading to inaccurate results if the cuff
  • is so short that its ends overlap by only 1–2 cm
  • is so long that it encircles the arm twice

When placing the cuff, make sure the arrow indicating the artery is positioned over the correct spot in the crook of the elbow!

Body position during measurement

• Measurement on the upper arm: (left illustrations)
  • sit on a chair
  • fasten the cuff on your upper arm so that it is at the same height as your heart
  • rest your forearm on a table in front of you (support it)
• Measurement on the wrist: (right illustrations)
  • sit on a chair
  • fasten the cuff so that the device is on the palm side of your wrist
  • raise the device to the same level as your heart
  • support your left elbow with your right hand

Rules to follow during measurement

• Do not move your hand or fingers during the measurement! (Until the cuff has fully deflated.)
• Do not speak during the measurement! Home devices detect oscillations of the arterial wall, which can be disturbed by (loud) speech!

Tips for blood pressure measurement

• Always measure on the same arm!
• If you cannot sit, you may measure while lying down, but always measure in the same position so the values are comparable with earlier readings!
• (Preferably) always use the same device! Do not switch blood pressure monitors!
• Do not try to "check" the results with another device! Values may differ!
• It is especially unwise to expect identical values from wrist and upper-arm devices. You may lose confidence in your treatment!

If you follow these rules, the values measured by your device will provide useful help in managing and keeping high blood pressure (hypertension) under control and, most importantly, in preventing serious complications (heart attack, stroke, etc.)!