Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM)

An Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring measures your blood pressure over a twenty-four-hour period and is small enough that you can go about your daily activities, including sleeping.

Some patients experience a “white coat effect” while their blood pressure is tested in the doctor’s office which causes the pressure to spike—ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is designed to eliminate this effect by taking readings throughout the day as you go about your daily activities. It will determine whether you need medication or an adjustment to your medication, and whether your blood pressure stays high during periods of inactivity or while you’re sleeping.

The monitoring device is a small, digital instrument that is strapped over your shoulder and connected to a cuff on your upper arm. It won’t get in the way of your daily activities.

The device takes your blood pressure every fifteen to thirty minutes throughout the day and every thirty to sixty minutes at night by inflating the cuff in order to get a reading: please relax your arm at your side until the cuff deflates. You will need to keep a diary of your activities while the test is being performed. After twenty-four-hours the device will be removed and its data downloaded to the computer. Your doctor will analyze the results and go over them with you.

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