EVALUATION OF NONINVASIVE BLOOD-PRESSURE MONITORING DEVICES SPACELAB-90202 AND SPACELAB-90207 VERSUS RESTING AND AMBULATORY 24-HOUR INTRAARTERIAL BLOOD-PRESSURE

This study evaluated the accuracy of blood pressure values provided by the Spacelabs 90202 and 90207 devices in comparison with intra-arterial recording in 19 subjects at rest and in nine subjects in ambulatory conditions (Oxford method). At rest Spacelabs monitors reflected intra-arterial systolic blood pressure values very closely but overestimated to a considerable extent intra-arterial diastolic blood pressure (Spacelabs-intra-arterial differences, -0.8+/-9.2, NS, and 9.1+/-8.8 mm Hg, p<0.01, for systolic and diastolic blood pressures, respectively). In ambulatory conditions Spacelabs-intra-arterial average differences in 24-hour values were +0.4+/-5.1 mm Hg for systolic blood pressure (NS) and +14.0+/-2.9 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure (p<0.01) when group data were considered. The performance of both Spacelabs devices was worse when assessed in individual subjects or for each hourly interval. In spite of these differences between noninvasive and intra-arterial absolute blood pressure values, however, Spacelabs 90202 and 90207 monitors were able to faithfully reflect directional hour-to-hour changes in intra-arterial blood pressure (chi-2=18.2 and chi-2=23.1 for systolic and diastolic blood pressures, respectively, p<0.01). No differences were found between the performance of the two Spacelabs devices. Thus, although the absolute accuracy of blood pressure values provided by these monitors in ambulatory subjects is still limited, they seem to be suitable for studies aimed at assessing 24-hour blood pressure profiles quantitatively as well as qualitatively.