Auscultatory indirect measurement of blood pressure in dogs

An indirect method of measuring blood pressure (cuff plus stethoscope) was evaluated in 70 dogs weighing 15 to 30 kg (17.5 +/- 8.8 kg; mean +/- standard deviation). A cuff 12 cm wide was used. The measurements were most audible with the cuff on the upper foreleg of the dog and with the stethoscope placed in the medial epicondylar region just distal to the cuff. The cuff was inflated to greater than systolic pressure and allowed to deflate slowly. In 70 lightly sedated dogs, systolic blood pressures averaged 145 +/- 25 mmHg (mean +/- standard deviation) and diastolic blood pressures averaged 84 +/- 14 mmHg. Indirect measurements were compared to direct measurements (femoral arterial catheter). Systolic pressures obtained by this direct method averaged 138 +/- 29 mmHg (mean +/- standard deviation) and diastolic pressures averaged 84 +/- 17 mmHg. The correlation coefficient for systolic pressure was 0.96 and for diastolic pressure 0.97.