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Blood Pressure Measurements Can Be Strikingly Inaccurate
I TRACK MY BLOOD PRESSURE with an in-office device and an at-home machine. I was surprised to see this recent news headline: “One-size-fits-all blood pressure cuffs [and measurements] strikingly inaccurate.”
Accurate blood pressure measurement is central to diagnosing and managing high blood pressure (hypertension).
Today, I want to share the results of the study. We will then examine four big ways blood pressure measurements can go awry.
“Isn’t it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do ‘practice’?” — The late comedian George Carlin
One-Size Fits All Cuffs Are Inaccurate
I remember having my blood pressure checked in a doctor’s office.
The cuff was too big, and my reading was unexpected. I subsequently verified that the reading had been inaccurate.
Have you ever had this experience? A new study reminds us how an improperly sized blood pressure cuff can result in erroneous readings taken by automated devices.
