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Comparison of upper arm and calf oscillometric blood pressure measurement in preterm infants
1Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio 45229-3039, USA.
Insights
Calf blood pressure (BP) measurements are common but understudied in preterm infants. This study found calf BP comparable to upper arm BP in the first five days of life.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Physiology
- Cardiovascular Monitoring
Background:
- Calf blood pressure (BP) measurement is widely used, yet data in preterm infants is scarce.
- Understanding the reliability of calf BP in neonates is crucial for clinical practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare oscillometric upper arm BP measurements with calf BP measurements in preterm infants.
- To assess the validity of calf BP as an alternative to arm BP in this population.
Main Methods:
- Sixty-five preterm infants with a mean weight of 1629 +/- 437 gm were included.
- Oscillometric BP was measured at the upper arm and calf.
- Repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance analyzed systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressures.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were observed between arm and calf systolic BP on days 1, 3, and 5 of life.
- A significant difference in systolic BP emerged on day 7 (arm: 60.4 +/- 8.4 mmHg; calf: 57.7 +/- 7.1 mmHg).
- Diastolic and mean arterial pressures showed no significant differences between sites; infant weight did not affect BP differences.
Conclusions:
- Calf BP measurements are a reasonable alternative to upper arm BP measurements in preterm infants during the first five days of life.
- Further research may explore longer-term BP monitoring and potential discrepancies beyond day 7.
Abstract:
Although the practice of using calf blood pressure (BP) measurement is widespread, virtually no information is available about calf site BP measurements in preterm infants. This research compared oscillometric upper arm BP measurements with calf BP measurements in 65 preterm infants with a mean weight of 1629 +/- 437 gm. Differences between arm and calf BP measurements were analyzed with repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance of systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressures. There were no significant differences between arm and calf systolic BP on days 1, 3, and 5 of life. With post hoc testing there was a significant difference on day 7 between systolic arm BP (60.4 +/- 8.4 mm Hg) and calf BP (57.7 +/- 7.1 mm Hg) (t = 3.68, p < 0.01). There were no significant differences between arm and calf measurements for diastolic and mean arterial pressures and no main effect from infant weight on differences between arm and calf BP. It may be reasonable to use either arm or calf BP during the first 5 days of life.