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How Should We Measure and Deal with Office Blood Pressure in 2021?
Annina S Vischer1, Thilo Burkard1,2
1Medical Outpatient Department and Hypertension Clinic, ESH Hypertension Centre of Excellence, University Hospital Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland.
Insights
Office blood pressure measurements (OBPMs) are crucial for diagnosing and managing hypertension but vary widely. This review addresses inconsistencies in OBPM procedures to improve clinical practice and study comparability.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Clinical Hypertension Management
Background:
- Arterial hypertension is a leading global risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
- Office blood pressure measurements (OBPMs) are standard for hypertension diagnosis and monitoring.
- Current guidelines and outcome studies exhibit significant procedural variations in OBPMs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent recommendations for office blood pressure measurement.
- To identify major limitations associated with current OBPM procedures.
- To propose strategies for overcoming these limitations and enhancing consistency.
Main Methods:
- Narrative review of recent clinical guidelines and major outcome studies.
- Analysis of procedural variations in office blood pressure measurement techniques.
- Synthesis of limitations and proposed solutions for standardized OBPM.
Main Results:
- Significant heterogeneity exists in recommended OBPM procedures across guidelines and studies.
- These variations complicate inter-study comparisons and clinical decision-making.
- Recent recommendations aim to standardize measurement techniques.
Conclusions:
- Standardizing office blood pressure measurement procedures is essential for accurate hypertension management.
- Addressing procedural variations can improve the reliability of clinical practice and research findings.
- Implementing consistent OBPM protocols is critical for global cardiovascular health efforts.
Abstract:
Arterial hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease worldwide. Office blood pressure measurements (OBPMs) are still recommended for diagnosis and follow-up by all major guidelines; however, the recommended procedures differ significantly. In analogy, major outcome studies usually apply OBPMs, again, with a variety of procedures. This variety of OBPM procedures complicates the comparability between studies and challenges daily clinical practice. In this narrative review, we compile the most recent recommendations for office blood pressure measurement together with the major limitations and strategies and how these could be overcome.
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Preparation:
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Prepare for the Procedure: