[Usefulness of different techniques of blood pressure measurements in 2016]

Abstract

The management of hypertensive patients is greatly influenced by blood pressure levels and accurate measurement of blood pressure is crucial in this context. Mercury sphygmomanometer has been progressively replaced by more precise oscillometric devices that can be widely used in the clinic and ambulatory setting. The purpose of this review was to detail the different methods for evaluating blood pressure, and to refine their indications and clinical benefit. Office blood pressure measurement has a great variability and should follow a strict protocol to give consistent results. National and international guidelines focus on blood pressure measurement in the ambulatory setting. When used by trained patients, home blood pressure monitoring is reproducible and can provide substantial prognostic information, even if ambulatory blood pressure monitoring remains the gold standard. The role of central blood pressure and pulse wave velocity monitoring in the therapeutic strategy of hypertension needs further assessment.

Keywords: Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring; Auto-mesure; Blood pressure; Home blood pressure monitoring; Hypertension; Hypertension artérielle; Mesure ambulatoire; Pression artérielle.