Attention to blood pressure cuff sizes is important for home and in-clinic blood pressure measurement

Abstract

Arm circumference determines appropriate blood pressure cuff size, which is critical for accurate measurements. This cross-sectional analysis aimed to assess cuff size needs according to mid-arm circumferences of Australian adults. Based on typical in-clinic cuff sizes, most Australians would require a medium (51.7%) or large (44.5%) cuff, which means that the cuff would need to be changed for almost every second patient. Most home devices are supplied with a standard (22–32 cm) or wide-range (22–42 cm) cuff, these were found to be unsuitable for 9 million adults (48.3%) and over 701,995 adults (3.8%), respectively. Concerningly, the standard cuff size available with commonly used home devices would be unsuitable for large proportions of people in higher cardiovascular risk groups (e.g. hypertension (59.7%), diabetes (66.3%), high cholesterol (55.6%) and obesity (92.3%)). This work highlights attention must be paid to selecting appropriate cuff sizes for accurate blood pressure measurements in-clinic and at home.  Appropriate blood pressure cuff size is critical for accurate measurements. Most Australians require a medium (51.7%) or large (44.5%) cuff meaning the cuff needs to be changed for about every second patient. Yet most home devices are supplied with one cuff size which is not suited to over 700,000 adults.