Using 15-Minute Serial Blood Pressures as an Alternative to Measuring a Single Blood Pressure

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Hypertension Management
• Clinical Measurement

Background:

• Office blood pressure (BP) measurement is standard but can be influenced by patient anxiety.
• Thirty-minute office blood pressure (OBP-30) is an alternative but impractical.
• Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is effective but costly and less convenient.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a 15-minute unattended office blood pressure (OBP-15) measurement.
• To compare OBP-15 readings with baseline BP measurements for predicting hypertension control.
• To assess differences in BP control probability across demographic groups using OBP-15.

Main Methods:

• Sixty-seven adults with self-reported high blood pressure participated.
• Blood pressure was measured at baseline and every 5 minutes for 15 minutes.
• The average of the last three OBP-15 readings was compared to the initial baseline reading.

Main Results:

• A significant decline in both systolic (4.2 points) and diastolic (2.8 points) BP was observed from baseline to OBP-15.
• The probability of achieving BP control increased from 71.6% at baseline to 78.0% with OBP-15 (p=0.011).
• The improvement in BP control probability was significantly greater for indigenous or persons of color and men compared to white individuals and women, respectively.

Conclusions:

• Fifteen-minute unattended office blood pressure (OBP-15) is a convenient and effective method for assessing blood pressure.
• OBP-15 provides lower BP readings and a higher probability of hypertension control compared to a single baseline reading.
• This method may offer improved detection of BP control in specific demographic groups.