Automated device that complies with current guidelines for office blood pressure measurement: design and pilot application study of the Microlife WatchBP Office device.
OBJECTIVE
Current guidelines for office blood pressure (BP) measurement recommend mercury devices, both arms measurement in the initial assessment and at least duplicate measurements at follow-up visits. This study presents the design and a pilot application study of an automated device that fulfils American, European, and International guidelines for office BP measurement.
The Microlife WatchBP Office is a professional electronic mercury-free device with three function modes designed for: (a) initial assessment: triplicate automated simultaneous oscillometric both arms measurement at 60-s intervals and when there is a consistent interarm difference more than 20 mmHg systolic and/or more than 10 mmHg diastolic, the arm with the higher BP is indicated. (b) Follow-up assessment: triplicate automated oscillometric single arm measurements at 60-s intervals and their average is displayed. (c) Auscultatory measurement: by an observer using a stethoscope and a digital countdown BP display for patients with arrhythmias and other individuals in whom the oscillometric measurement is not accurate.
The 'initial assessment' mode was applied by three physicians in 63 patients (189 readings). Average interarm systolic BP difference was 0.04+/-5.1 mmHg and diastolic 0.4+/-3.2 mmHg. A value more than 10 mmHg interarm difference in nine systolic BP readings (5%) and three (2%) diastolic. No patient had a consistent interarm difference more than 10 mmHg in all three or two of the three readings.


CONCLUSIONS
The Microlife WatchBP Office professional device fulfils current international requirements for office BP measurement and seems to overcome several limitations of this method when applied in clinical practice.
Stergiou
George S
GS
Hypertension Center, Third University Department of Medicine, Sotiria Hospital, Athens, Greece. gstergi@med.uoa.gr
Lin
Che-Wei
CW
Lin
Chia-Ming
CM
Chang
Shih-Lung
SL
Protogerou
Athanasios D
AD
Tzamouranis
Dimitris
D
Nasothimiou
Efthimia
E
Tan
Ty-Minh
TM
D000368:Aged; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000592:standards; D015924:Blood Pressure Monitors / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity