SIMULTANEOUS AND SEQUENTIAL SAME-ARM MEASUREMENTS IN THE VALIDATION STUDIES OF AUTOMATED BLOOD-PRESSURE MEASURING DEVICES

The oscillometric ambulatory blood pressure recorder Daypress 500 was validated according to the British Hypertension Society protocol. Both sequential and simultaneous measurements were used. Multiple regressi on analysis demonstrated a significant influence of subject pulse pres sure and arm circumference on device-observer systolic pressure differ ences. Differences between observer consecutive readings were inversel y related to heart rate. Device and observer blood pressure readings w ere closer at simultaneous than at sequential measurements. However, b oth kinds of measurement led to the same final evaluation (A for diast olic and B for systolic blood pressure), provided that the appropriate grading criteria were applied for each method. (C) 1996 American Jour nal of Hypertension, Ltd.