NONINVASIVE AMBULATORY BLOOD-PRESSURE MON ITORING - RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE ORKING-GROUP-OF-THE-FRENCH-SOCIETY-OF-HYPERTENSION

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is being widely used now that rel atively simple, reliable and well-tolerated, non-invasive blood pressu re measuring devices have become available. The following recommendati ons are only to help physicians to use this technique in their daily p ractice: only use homologated devices; ambulatory monitoring should be performed during normal, everyday activities; at least one measuremen t of blood pressure should be taken every 1/4 hour during the day time (7 h-22 h) and every 1/2 hour during the night (22 h-7 h); the arm mu st be absolutely still and relaxed during the measurement; the functio n of the measuring device should be checked when the patient is fitted up and when the device is removed; data processing should provide at least: all values of blood pressure and heart rate, and their times of measurement, the mean values of systolic end diastolic blood pressure and heart rate during the day and during the night, the maximal and m inimal systolic and diastolic blood pressure values, a chronogramme of the values. Reasonable indications of ambulatory blood pressure monit oring include: elimination of the <<white coat>> effect; to confirm th e diagnosis of borderline hypertension; to demonstrate inversion of di urnal rhythm in severe hypertension; to demonstrate episodic hyper or hypotension; to confirm certain cases of toxaemia of pregnancy. It is also justified in the evaluation of antihypertension therapy, especial ly in cases of suspected drug resistance.