Procedure

1. An ABPM monitor is a small battery-operated portable and wearable device that can record a continuous blood pressure for 24 hours.
2. A BP cuff that is attached to the device is worn around your upper arm. The cuff may be worn under clothing so it is not visible.
3. The cuff inflates at certain intervals throughout the day and night. You may be told to keep a diary to record your daily readings. This can help show how changes in your BP relate to periods of activity or rest.
4. You will be able to do your routine activates, whilst you are wearing the monitor.
5. In addition, your doctor will likely ask you to keep a diary of your symptoms including the type and timings.
6. Once the monitoring is completed, you can remove the device and BP cuff and return the equipment to your clinic or doctor’s office. The data on the device will be analyzed and generates results.

What is 24-hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring for?

1. Ambulatory BP monitoring provides additional information about your blood pressure changes whilst doing your routine activities and asleep at night.
2. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), Canadian Hypertension guidelines, British hypertension guidelines and other major Heart societies recommends the use of 24 –blood pressure monitoring for diagnosis.
3. This is recommended in the following conditions:
1. White coat hypertension: Some people who are not on any medications, when checks BP reading at doctor’s office have higher readings whilst when checked at home have normal reading. The elevated readings at a doctor’s office or other health care setting is known as “white coat hypertension.”
2. White coat hypertension has been observed in 15%-30% of patients with elevated BP readings and can lead to misdiagnosis of BP.
3. Masked hypertension: In this condition a patient’s BP reading is normal at the doctor’s office, but is elevated when the patient is at home. It may occur in up to 20% of people who are being treated for hypertension.
4. Sustained hypertension: this is when the blood pressure is recorded higher in the doctor’s office or at home.
5. Blood pressure medications optimization: 24 hours Ambulatory BP monitoring is increasingly being used to determine how well some antihypertensive drugs can control high BP and so the medications can be readjusted.

Special conditions and Ambulatory BP Monitoring

The 24 hours Ambulatory BP may also be used in special situations to monitor or diagnose blood pressure. Theses includes:

1. Hypertension and Pregnancy
2. Hypertension in Elderly patients
3. Patients with “Borderline” hypertension
4. Difficulty in controlling BP with medication
5. Suspected Resistant Hypertension
6. BP changes due to other drugs
7. Fainting episodes, suspected to be due to hypotension (Low BP)

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