[Continuous Non-Invasive Blood Pressure Measurement Using Pulse Transit Time in Children and Adolescents]

As an alternative to ambulatory 24-h blood pressure monitors, the continuous, non-invasive blood pressure recording using pulse transit time (PTT) was compared with both oscillometric and intra-arterial measurement.

In 144 pediatric patients (9.4±5.2 years) acute blood pressure was determined using three different methods of measurement. In 57 patients (11.4±4.9 years) of the pediatric normal ward, the blood pressure was simultaneously determined continuously by means of PTT compared to the intermittent oscillometric long-term measurement. In 9 patients (9.8±6.8 years) of the pediatric intensive care unit with continuous intra-arterial blood pressure measurement, the blood pressure was measured in parallel by means of PTT.

Compared to the gold standard sphygmomanometry, mean systolic blood pressure values were comparable to 2 different oscillometric devices, but in the case of diastolic pressure measurement the pressure values were significantly lower or higher than with sphygmomanometry and auscultation. The results of the non-invasive comparative long-term measurements showed better correlations for systolic rather than diastolic pressure. Similar results were obtained comparing the direct intra-arterial blood pressure measurement with the SOMNOtouch™ NIBP device which measures blood pressure using the PTT.

Continuous, indirect blood pressure recording using pulse transit time provides good correlations to the reference measurements for long-term measurement of blood pressure in children and adolescents and appears to be a usable method to measure the blood pressure of children especially at rest.