Best BP Measurement Practices
| 1. The child should be seated in a quiet room for 3–5 min before measurement, with the back supported and feet uncrossed on the floor. |
| 2. BP should be measured in the right arm for consistency, for comparison with standard tables, and to avoid a falsely low reading from the left arm in the case of coarctation of the aorta. The arm should be at heart level,90 supported, and uncovered above the cuff. The patient and observer should not speak while the measurement is being taken. |
| 3. The correct cuff size should be used. The bladder length should be 80%–100% of the circumference of the arm, and the width should be at least 40%. |
| 4. For an auscultatory BP, the bell of the stethoscope should be placed over the brachial artery in the antecubital fossa, and the lower end of the cuff should be 2–3 cm above the antecubital fossa. The cuff should be inflated to 20–30 mm Hg above the point at which the radial pulse disappears. Overinflation should be avoided. The cuff should be deflated at a rate of 2–3 mm Hg per second. The first (phase I Korotkoff) and last (phase V Korotkoff) audible sounds should be taken as SBP and DBP. If the Korotkoff sounds are heard to 0 mm Hg, the point at which the sound is muffled (phase IV Korotkoff) should be taken as the DBP, or the measurement repeated with less pressure applied over the brachial artery. The measurement should be read to the nearest 2 mm Hg. |
| 5. To measure BP in the legs, the patient should be in the prone position, if possible. An appropriately sized cuff should be placed midthigh and the stethoscope placed over the popliteal artery. The SBP in the legs is usually 10%–20% higher than the brachial artery pressure. |
| 1. The child should be seated in a quiet room for 3–5 min before measurement, with the back supported and feet uncrossed on the floor. |
| 2. BP should be measured in the right arm for consistency, for comparison with standard tables, and to avoid a falsely low reading from the left arm in the case of coarctation of the aorta. The arm should be at heart level,90 supported, and uncovered above the cuff. The patient and observer should not speak while the measurement is being taken. |
| 3. The correct cuff size should be used. The bladder length should be 80%–100% of the circumference of the arm, and the width should be at least 40%. |
| 4. For an auscultatory BP, the bell of the stethoscope should be placed over the brachial artery in the antecubital fossa, and the lower end of the cuff should be 2–3 cm above the antecubital fossa. The cuff should be inflated to 20–30 mm Hg above the point at which the radial pulse disappears. Overinflation should be avoided. The cuff should be deflated at a rate of 2–3 mm Hg per second. The first (phase I Korotkoff) and last (phase V Korotkoff) audible sounds should be taken as SBP and DBP. If the Korotkoff sounds are heard to 0 mm Hg, the point at which the sound is muffled (phase IV Korotkoff) should be taken as the DBP, or the measurement repeated with less pressure applied over the brachial artery. The measurement should be read to the nearest 2 mm Hg. |
| 5. To measure BP in the legs, the patient should be in the prone position, if possible. An appropriately sized cuff should be placed midthigh and the stethoscope placed over the popliteal artery. The SBP in the legs is usually 10%–20% higher than the brachial artery pressure. |
Adapted from Pickering TG, Hall JE, Appel LJ, et al. Recommendations for blood pressure measurement in humans and experimental animals: part 1: blood pressure measurement in humans: a statement for professionals from the Subcommittee of Professional and Public Education of the American Heart Association Council on High Blood Pressure Research. Circulation. 2005;111(5):697–716.