MEASUREMENT OF BLOOD-PRESSURE DURING PREGNANCY - EVALUATION OF THE TRICUFF

Previous surveys have revealed that a major source of error in measuri ng blood pressure in pregnant women is failure to use a large cuff whe n necessary. We have tested the hypothesis that this problem could be overcome by using a single cuff containing automatically selected infl ation bladders of appropriate size, the TriCUFF(R). We compared readin gs obtained with the TriCUFF(R) with those obtained using standard adu lt or large (obese) cuffs in 51 pregnant women. Thirty nine had normal upper arm circumferences (< 34 cm) and 12 increased arm circumference s (greater-than-or-equal-to 34 cm). The TriCUFF(R) overestimated stand ard cuff systolic and diastolic (phase IV) readings by 2 (0-4) mmHg (m ean, 95 % confidence limits) (p < 0.05). There was no difference betwe en readings for women with large arms. Agreement between readings by b oth methods was acceptable for clinical practice in most cases. Use of the TriCUFF(R) could significantly improve the accuracy of blood pres sure recording in pregnant women.