Effect of garment on the arm under the auscultatory manometer cuff among primigravidae

Abstract

Context: Although Perinatal guidelines recommend blood pressure (BP) should be measured on bare arms among pregnant women, BP is measured over garments in primary health care settings among prenatal women. Aim: To identify the discrepancies in BP measurements with garments under the manometer cuff versus bare arm among normotensive primigravidae. Setting and Design: An exploratory study was conducted among n = 95 normal low risk normotensive primigravidae at mid trimester attending antenatal clinic at rural PHC. Materials and Methods: With the auscultatory sphygmomanometer, BP were measured thrice with garments versus bare arms to rule out differences. Results were compared with Paired t-test and SPSS version 20 was used for analysis. Results: There were insignificant differences in mean systolic BP and diastolic BP between the garments covered versus bare arm. The mean garments thickness was less than 5 mm and it was not a significant predictor for mean differences of BP in garments vs bare on arm. Conclusions: Measuring blood pressure on arms with garments violates long-established perinatal guidelines and the decision to measure accurate BP with sleeves on among pregnant women depends on the discretion of the clients and the professionals.