title: Advantages and disadvantages of non-invasive ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.
abstract: Our studies have shown that (1) automatic blood pressure readings obtained from portable monitors do not induce any alerting reaction or pressor response in the patient; (2) although the measurements are intermittent, non-invasive ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is able to provide a true estimate of 24-h blood pressure and heart rate mean values (the assessment of 24-h blood pressure and heart rate variabilities is less accurate); (3) the nocturnal fall in blood pressure is not altered by the possible disturbance to the patient's sleep induced by repeated cuff inflations; and (4) even when the automatic blood pressure readings obtained are similar to simultaneous readings obtained by a sphygmomanometer, the accuracy of the values provided by portable monitors used in truly ambulatory conditions cannot be taken for granted. These findings have particular implications for the cost: benefit ratio if ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is to be used in the routine evaluation of hypertensive patients.
authors: Centro Auxologico Italiano, Università di Milano, Italy.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Parati
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Mutti
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Ravogli
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Trazzi
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Villani
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Mancia
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000592:standards; D015924:Blood Pressure Monitors / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004867:Equipment Design; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology