Assessing the inaccuracy of automatic devices in taking postural measurements in the Emergency Department

Abstract

Background: Automatic devices have been found to be inaccurate and inconsistent in taking single blood pressures (BPs) in emergency departments (EDs) but there is scant literature on their accuracy in taking postural BP measurements. This study involved taking sequential measurements to assess the accuracy of the Dinamap Procare automatic device relative to the WelchAllyn 767 manual aneroid reference standard. The aim was to determine whether using the automatic device makes a clinically significant difference when taking postural BPs. The clinically acceptable ranges were predetermined to be <20 mm Hg for systolic BP and <10 mm Hg for diastolic BP as these thresholds define orthostatic hypotension (OH) and have clinical implications.