Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Are pitfalls of oscillometric blood pressure measurements preventable in children?

  • Editorial Commentary
  • Published:
Pediatric Nephrology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract.

While the routine measurement of blood pressure (BP) in children is common practice, there is lack of uniformity in the types of devices used to measure BP in children. Oscillometric devices are replacing conventional sphygmomanometry in many medical centers. However, the BP determined by these two methods is not identical, nor is it systematically different. Moreover, there is paucity of normative data on oscillometric BP measurements in children. Since oscillometric devices may well ultimately replace conventional standard mercury and aneroid manometers, users of these devices need not only to ensure strict adherence to the technique of obtaining BPs as put forth by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, but also to be certain that the specific device being used has been tested for accuracy in children of the target age in accordance with standard guidelines, and that they are regularly maintained and calibrated. Due to limited normative data on BPs using oscillometric devices in children, we feel that further studies are needed before the auscultatory methods can be altogether eliminated.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.

References

  1. Burt VL, Whelton P, Roccella EJ, Brown C, Cutler JA, Higgins M, Horan MJ, Labarthe D (1995) Prevalence of hypertension in the US adult population. Results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1991. Hypertension 25:305–313

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Sinaiko AR, Gomez-Marin O, Prineas RJ (1989) Prevalence of "significant" hypertension in junior high school-aged children: the Children and Adolescent Blood Pressure Program. J Pediatr 114:664–669

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Mehta SK (1987) Pediatric hypertension. A challenge for pediatricians. Am J Dis Child 141:893–894

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Lauer RM, Clarke WR (1989) Childhood risk factors for high adult blood pressure: the Muscatine Study. Pediatrics 84:633–641

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Vogt BA, Birk PE, Panzarino V, Hite SH, Kashtan CE (1999) Aortic dissection in young patients with chronic hypertension. Am J Kidney Dis 33:374–378

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Hari P, Bagga A, Srivastava RN (2000) Sustained hypertension in children. Indian Pediatr 37:268–274

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Cooney MJ, Bradley WG, Symko SC, Patel ST, Groncy PK (2000) Hypertensive encephalopathy: complication in children treated for myeloproliferative disorders—report of three cases. Radiology 214:711–716

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Sorof JM, Cardwell G, Franco K, Portman RJ (2002) Ambulatory blood pressure and left ventricular mass index in hypertensive children. Hypertension 39:903–908

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Task Force on Blood Pressure Control in Children (1987) Report of the Second Task Force on Blood Pressure Control in Children—1987. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Maryland. Pediatrics 79:1-25

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. O'Brien E (2002) Has conventional sphygmomanometry ended with the banning of mercury? Blood Press Monit 7:37–40

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Ramsey M 3rd (1991) Blood pressure monitoring: automated oscillometric devices. J Clin Monit 7:56–67

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Smith GR (2000) Devices for blood pressure measurement. Prof Nurse 15:337–340

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Park MK, Menard SM (1989) Normative oscillometric blood pressure values in the first 5 years in an office setting. Am J Dis Child 143:860–864

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Elkasabany AM, Urbina EM, Daniels SR, Berenson GS (1998) Prediction of adult hypertension by K4 and K5 diastolic blood pressure in children: the Bogalusa Heart Study. J Pediatr 132:687–692

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Park MK, Menard SM (1987) Accuracy of blood pressure measurement by the Dinamap monitor in infants and children. Pediatrics 79:907–914

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Canzanello VJ, Jensen PL, Schwartz GL (2001) Are aneroid sphygmomanometers accurate in hospital and clinic settings? Arch Intern Med 161:729–731

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Wattigney WA, Webber LS, Lawrence MD, Berenson GS (1996) Utility of an automatic instrument for blood pressure measurement in children. The Bogalusa Heart Study. Am J Hypertens 9:256–262

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Gillman MW, Cook NR (1995) Blood pressure measurement in childhood epidemiological studies. Circulation 92:1049–1057

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. O'Brien E (2000) Replacing the mercury sphygmomanometer. Requires clinicians to demand better automated devices. BMJ 320:815–816

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Kaufmann MA, Pargger H, Drop LJ (1996) Oscillometric blood pressure measurements by different devices are not interchangeable. Anesth Analg 82:377–381

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Colan SD, Fujii A, Borow KM, MacPherson D, Sanders SP (1983) Noninvasive determination of systolic, diastolic and end-systolic blood pressure in neonates, infants and young children: comparison with central aortic pressure measurements. Am J Cardiol 52:867–870

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Park MK, Menard SW, Yuan C (2001) Comparison of auscultatory and oscillometric blood pressures. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 155:50–53

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. O'Brien E (2000) Proposals for simplifying the validation protocols of the British Hypertension Society and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation. Blood Press Monit 5:43–45

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. O'Brien E, Waeber B, Parati G, Staessen J, Myers MG (2001) Blood pressure measuring devices: recommendations of the European Society of Hypertension. BMJ 322:531–536

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Jin RZ, Donaghue KC, Fairchild J, Chan A, Silink M (2001) Comparison of Dinamap 8100 with sphygmomanometer blood pressure measurement in a prepubertal diabetes cohort. J Paediatr Child Health 37:545–549

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. O'Brien E, Mee F, Atkins N, O'Malley K (1993) Short report: accuracy of the Dinamap portable monitor, model 8100 determined by the British Hypertension Society protocol. J Hypertens 11:761–763

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Rose KM, Arnett DK, Ellison RC, Heiss G (2000) Skip patterns in DINAMAP-measured blood pressure in 3 epidemiological studies. Hypertension 35:1032–1036

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Moss AJ, Adams FH (1963) Index of indirect estimation of diastolic blood pressure. Am J Dis Child 106:364–367

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements.

The authors thank Mr. Christopher Hartung for editorial assistance and for his help in preparing the illustrations.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Pediatric Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA

    Lavjay Butani

  2. Section of Pediatric Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, Mayo Medical School, , Rochester, MN 55905, USA

    Bruce Z. Morgenstern

  3. Section of Pediatric Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Davis Medical Center, 2516 Stockton Boulevard, Ticon II Building, 3rd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA

    Lavjay Butani

Authors
  1. Lavjay Butani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Bruce Z. Morgenstern
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lavjay Butani.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Butani, L., Morgenstern, B.Z. Are pitfalls of oscillometric blood pressure measurements preventable in children?. Pediatr Nephrol 18, 313–318 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-003-1075-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-003-1075-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation