 |
|
Blood PressureAssessment of Interarm Differences
Adam J. Singer, MD;
Judd E. Hollander, MD
Arch Intern Med. 1996;156(17):2005-2008.
Abstract
Background
Although a large interarm blood pressure difference is assumed to help identify patients with aortic dissection, the degree of normal interarm blood pressure variation has not been well defined.
Methods
To determine the normal variation in bilateral upper-extremity blood pressure measurements, we conducted a prospective observational study on a convenience sample of ambulatory patients who were seen at a university hospital emergency department. Bilateral upper-extremity blood pressure measurements were performed with an automated blood pressure monitor at the time the patient was seen. Clinical and demographic data collected included age, sex, race, medical history, chief complaint, cardiac risk factors, pulse, bilateral blood pressure measurements, and discharge diagnosis. The primary outcome measures were the interarm blood pressure differences.
Results
Of 610 patients, 324 (53%) had a systolic or a diastolic interarm blood pressure difference of more than 10 mm Hg, and 113 (19%) had a systolic or a diastolic interarm blood pressure difference of more than 20 mm Hg. The variation in interarm blood pressure measurements was unrelated to age, gender, race, mean arterial pressure, cardiovascular risk factors, or discharge diagnosis. The mean interarm systolic blood pressure difference was significantly greater in patients with known coronary artery disease (14.5 vs 10.4 mm Hg; P=.05, Student t test).
Conclusion
Bilateral upper-extremity blood pressure determinations, as measured by automated indirect measurement, have a wide degree of interarm variation.
Arch Intern Med. 1996;156:2005-2008
Author Affiliations
From the Department of Emergency Medicine, University Medical Center, State University of New York, Stony Brook.
 CiteULike  Connotea  Delicious  Digg  Facebook  Reddit  Technorati  Twitter
What's this?
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES
|
Prognostic Significance of Between-Arm Blood Pressure Differences
Agarwal et al.
Hypertension 2008;51:657-662.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Consistency of Blood Pressure Differences Between the Left and Right Arms
Eguchi et al.
Arch Intern Med 2007;167:388-393.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
The Unilateral Measurement of Blood Pressure May Mask the Diagnosis or Delay the Effective Treatment of Hypertension
Karagiannis et al.
ANGIOLOGY 2005;56:565-569.
ABSTRACT
Subclavian artery stenosis: Prevalence, risk factors, and association with cardiovascular diseases
Shadman et al.
J Am Coll Cardiol 2004;44:618-623.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Does This Patient Have an Acute Thoracic Aortic Dissection?
Klompas
JAMA 2002;287:2262-2272.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Blood Pressure Difference Between Arms
Bursztyn
Arch Intern Med 1997;157:818-818.
ABSTRACT
Blood Pressure Difference Between Arms-Reply
Hollander and Singer
Arch Intern Med 1997;157:818-818.
ABSTRACT
A Century of Indirect Blood Pressure Measurement: Back to Basics
Cushman
Arch Intern Med 1996;156:1922-1923.
ABSTRACT
|
