Clinical use of 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

Knowing a patient's continuous 24-hour blood pressure measurements can be useful to the nurse practitioner in evaluating the hypertensive patient. Recent studies have demonstrated end-organ damage to have a higher degree of correlation with 24-hour blood pressure readings than with more periodic blood pressure readings. Previously, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure determinations were evaluated primarily in research settings. The ability to obtain these readings for diagnostic information applicable to clinical situations is becoming readily available. The historical background leading to the development of the ambulatory blood pressure monitors for clinical use is reviewed. The indications for obtaining 24-hour ambulatory pressures, interpretation of specific graphs and patient outcome are explained.