title: Measuring blood pressure in pregnancy and postpartum: assessing the reliability of automated measuring devices.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the reliability of automated blood pressure (BP) measuring devices in hypertensive pregnancies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three sequential measurements were taken using mercury sphygmomanometry and an automated device in pregnant hypertensive women (n = 89).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Systolic BP (SBP) was higher with the automated device (mean difference 2.5 mmHg, 95% CI: 1.9-3.2 mmHg), whereas diastolic BP (DBP) was higher with the mercury sphygmomanometer (mean difference 2.0 mmHg, 95% CI: 1.5-2.6 mmHg). Within-patient variability for the automated device was: SBP 4.8 mmHg (95% CI: 4.6-5.2 mmHg), DBP 3.4 mmHg (95% CI: 3.1-3.7 mmHg); and for mercury sphygmomanometry: SBP 3.7 mmHg (95% CI: 3.5-4.0 mmHg), DBP 3.0 mmHg (95% CI: 2.8-3.3 mmHg).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Outpatient automated BP measurement agrees well with mercury sphygmomanometry in hypertensive pregnancies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Renal Medicine and.
authors.forename: Patrick G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Lan
authors.forename: Philip A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Clayton
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hyett
authors.forename: Adrian G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Gillin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001331:Automation; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D046110:Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015588:Observer Variation; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy