Value of measuring central blood pressure in clinical practice

Abstract

This article is an invited piece to provide a “pro” point of view on the clinical value of measuring central blood pressure (BP) over and above-standard cuff BP. Evidence to support the clinical value of cuff BP is among the strongest in medicine. However, a common misconception is that because cuff BP is measured at the site of the upper arm, it is upper arm BP that causes the adverse effects of hypertension—the heart attacks, strokes, and kidney disease. On the contrary, these outcomes are caused by the BP exposure at the central arterial beds near the organs (i.e., aorta, carotid artery), which can differ from upper arm (brachial artery) BP.