VALIDATION OF THE SPACELABS-90207 AMBULATORY BLOOD-PRESSURE MONITOR FOR USE IN PREGNANCY

Objective To determine the accuracy of the SpaceLabs 90207 ambulatory blood pressure monitor in pregnant women. Design Prospective observati onal study. Setting Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital for Women. Subjects One hundred and twenty-two pregnant women from the antenatal population of Queen Charlotte's Hospital. Methods Evaluation was carri ed out according to the British Hypertension Society (BHS) Protocol. R esults The mean difference between observer and device for systolic bl ood pressure was 3 (SD 4) mmHg. For diastolic blood pressure the diffe rence was 5 (SD 6) mmHg for Phase IV (muffling of Korotkoff sound), an d 4 (SD 4) mmHg for Phase V (disappearance of Korotkoff sound). Accord ing to the BHS grading criteria, the device reached a B grading for sy stolic blood pressure. B grading was also reached for diastolic blood pressure (Phase V) but grade C for diastolic blood pressure (Phase IV) . The accuracy criteria stipulated by the Association for the Advancem ent of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) were also met for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Conclusion The SpaceLabs 90207, when com pared with trained observers, is accurate in determining both systolic and diastolic blood pressure for clinical purposes, as judged by the BHS Protocol in pregnancy.