Comparison of the oscillometric blood pressure monitor (BPM-100(Beta) ) with the auscultatory mercury sphygmomanometer.
BACKGROUND
To compare directly the accuracy of the BPM-100(Beta) monitor (an automated oscillometric blood pressure device) with standard auscultatory mercury sphygmomanometry.


METHODS
The BPM-100(Beta) was connected in parallel via a T-tube to a mercury sphygmomanometer. The BPM-100(Beta) and two trained observers (blinded from each other and from the BPM-100(Beta)) measured the sitting blood pressure simultaneously.


METHODS
Means, standard deviations and ranges were calculated for all the demographic data: age, arm size, heart rate and blood pressure. The agreement between the BPM-100(Beta) and the mean of two observers (the reference) was determined and expressed as the mean +/- SD, as well as the percentage of differences falling within 5, 10 and 15 mmHg.


RESULTS
Of the 92 subjects recruited, 85 (92.4%) met the inclusion criteria, and 391 sets of sitting blood pressure and heart rate measurements were available for analysis. The mean difference between the BPM-100(Beta) monitor and the reference was -0.62 +/- 6.96 mmHg for systolic blood pressure, -1.48 +/- 4.80 mmHg for diastolic blood pressure and 0.14 +/- 1.86 beats/min for heart rate. The only limitation of the device was its tendency to underestimate higher systolic blood pressures. This problem has been addressed by a minor change in the algorithm (see the companion publication, Blood Press Monit, 6, 161-165, 2001).


CONCLUSIONS
The BPM-100(Beta) is an accurate blood pressure monitor for the office setting, meeting all requirements of the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation and achieving an 'A' grade according to the British Hypertension Society protocol.
Mattu
G S
GS
Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Perry
T L
TL
Wright
J M
JM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001132:Arm / Q000098:blood supply; D001314:Auscultation; D001331:Automation; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000379:methods*; D015924:Blood Pressure Monitors; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000502:physiology; D004548:Elasticity; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D009991:Oscillometry; D010092:Oximetry; D015203:Reproducibility of Results