%0 Evaluation Study
%T Automated device that complies with current guidelines for office blood pressure measurement: design and pilot application study of the Microlife WatchBP Office device.
%A Stergiou GS
%A Lin CW
%A Lin CM
%A Chang SL
%A Protogerou AD
%A Tzamouranis D
%A Nasothimiou E
%A Tan TM
%J Blood Press Monit
%V 13
%N 4
%D Aug 2008
%M 18635980
%F 1.43
%R 10.1097/MBP.0b013e3283057a84
%X <B>OBJECTIVE: </B>Current guidelines for office blood pressure (BP) measurement recommend mercury devices, both arms measurement in the initial assessment and at least duplicate measurements at follow-up visits. This study presents the design and a pilot application study of an automated device that fulfils American, European, and International guidelines for office BP measurement.<BR><B>UNASSIGNED: </B>The Microlife WatchBP Office is a professional electronic mercury-free device with three function modes designed for: (a) initial assessment: triplicate automated simultaneous oscillometric both arms measurement at 60-s intervals and when there is a consistent interarm difference more than 20 mmHg systolic and/or more than 10 mmHg diastolic, the arm with the higher BP is indicated. (b) Follow-up assessment: triplicate automated oscillometric single arm measurements at 60-s intervals and their average is displayed. (c) Auscultatory measurement: by an observer using a stethoscope and a digital countdown BP display for patients with arrhythmias and other individuals in whom the oscillometric measurement is not accurate.<BR><B>UNASSIGNED: </B>The 'initial assessment' mode was applied by three physicians in 63 patients (189 readings). Average interarm systolic BP difference was 0.04+/-5.1 mmHg and diastolic 0.4+/-3.2 mmHg. A value more than 10 mmHg interarm difference in nine systolic BP readings (5%) and three (2%) diastolic. No patient had a consistent interarm difference more than 10 mmHg in all three or two of the three readings.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>The Microlife WatchBP Office professional device fulfils current international requirements for office BP measurement and seems to overcome several limitations of this method when applied in clinical practice.