Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM)
- This test check the blood pressure at daytime and at night , usually we connect the arm cuff to small blood pressure machine attached to belt around the body so the patient can go and do his normal activity except swimming and showering ( avoid water to protect the machine).
- We put the machine to check the blood pressure every – 20 – 30 minutes at daytime – and 30- 60 minutes at night during sleep.it is important to tell the patient when you hear the bleep that means the machine is checking your blood pressure so set down if possible and keep arm steady and at the level of the heart to get correct reading.
Why we recommend this test?
- To be sure the blood pressure is definitely high and overcome ‘’the white coat hypertension” and to see the efficacy of antihypertensive medication over 24 hours and if the blood pressure still high at night which means we have to change the medication.
- Normally during recording there is what we call sleep dipping, the blood pressure drop between 10 -20 mm hg during sleep, so if it still high it indicate the persistence of hypertension. Very important to know that blood pressure fluctuated during day activity – emotion – and sleep. So during sleep as I pointed earlier, it drop 10 -20 mm hg and restart to goes up to normal range when the patient wake up in the morning, that is normal phenomena.
- At the end of recording we remove the cuff and machine and get the tape for analysis which give us tables and diagram about the blood pressure over 24 hours.
- Actually, it is easy, non complicated, and valuable test to put the right diagnosis and offer a proper management.
Read :
- 7 Complaints for patient suffering from high blood pressure
- Primary and Secondary Hypertension
Do you have any more questions about hypertension ? please visit our cardiology clinic and you will get all the positive answers for your hypertension. best regards
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