Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Letter
  • Published:

Automated oscillometric blood pressure versus auscultatory blood pressure as a predictor of carotid intima–medial thickness in male firefighters

Journal of Human Hypertension volume 21, pages 588–590 (2007)Cite this article

We examined the relationship between carotid intima–medial thickness (IMT) and blood pressure (BP) measured either by auscultation or by oscillometry in 176 firefighters. The automated oscillometric BP readings were related to carotid IMT (systolic P =0.023, β =0.407 and diastolic P =0.007, β =−0.372, respectively) but auscultatory BP readings were not related (systolic P =0.859, β =−0.028 and diastolic P =0.754, β =−0.04) in a multiple linear regression analysis. The findings of this study support the hypothesis that automated oscillometric BP better relates to cardiovascular prognosis than auscultatory BP but the clinical implications of this hypothesis needs to be tested in a definitive study.

In clinical practice, blood pressure (BP) measurement inaccuracies are frequent.1, 2 Adding to the problems of clinical assessment of BP, the mercury manometer is being banned in an increasing number of countries. Previously, we and others have reported that a fully automated oscillometric BP measurement device could produce similar results to a trained hypertension technician using auscultation,3, 4 and recent guidelines have included the use of validated oscillometric devices.5 In this study, we wanted to assess the association between automated oscillometric versus auscultatory BP readings and cardiovascular ‘target organ damage’ assessed by carotid intima-medial thickness (IMT).

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Campbell NRC, Culleton BW, McKay DW . Misclassification of blood pressure by usual measurement in ambulatory physician practices. Am J Hypertens 2005; 18: 1522–1527.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. McKay DW, Campbell NRC, Parab LS, Chockalingam A, Fodor JG . Clinical assessment of blood pressure. J Hum Hypertens 1990; 4: 639–645.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Campbell NRC, Conradson HE, Kang J, Brant R, Anderson T . Automated assessment of blood pressure using BpTRU compared to assessments by a trained technician and a clinic nurse. Blood Press Monit 2005; 10: 257–262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Graves JW, Nash C, Burger K, Bailey K, Sheps SG . Clinical decision-making in hypertension using an automated (BpTRU) measurement device. J Hum Hypertens 2003; 17: 823–827.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. O'Brien E, Asmar R, Beilin L, Imai Y, Mancia G, Mengden T et al. Practice guidelines of the European Society of Hypertension for clinic, ambulatory and self blood pressure measurement. J Hypertens 2005; 23: 697–701.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Yan RT, Anderson TJ, Charbonneau F, Title L, Verma S, Lonn E . Relationship between carotid artery Intima-media thickness and brachial artery Flow-mediated dilation in middle-aged healthy men. J Am Coll Cardiol 2005; 45: 1980–1986.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Zarnke KB, McAlister FA, Campbell NRC, Levine M, Schiffrin EL, Grover S et al. The 2001 Canadian recommendations for the management of hypertension: part one – assessment for diagnosis, cardiovascular risk, causes and lifestyle modification. Can J Cardiol 2002; 18: 604–624.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Wright JM, Mattu GS, Perry Jr TL, Gelfer ME, Strange KD, Zorn A et al. Validation of a new algorithm for the BPM-100 electronic oscillometric office blood pressure monitor. Blood Press Monit 2001; 6: 161–165.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Lonn EM, Yusuf S, Doris CI, Sabine MJ, Dzavik V, Hutchison K et al. Study design and baseline characteristics of the study to evaluate carotid ultrasound changes in patients treated with ramipril and vitamin E (SECURE). Am J Cardiol 1996; 78: 914–919.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Myers MG, Valdivieso MA . Use of an automated blood pressure recording device, the BpTRU, to reduce the “white coat effect” in routine practice. Am J Hypertens 2003; 16: 494–497.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Mancia G, Parati G, Pomidossi G, Grassi G, Casadel R, Zanchetti A . Alerting reaction and rise in blood pressure during measurement by physician and nurse. Hypertension 1987; 9: 209–215.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Veerman DP, de Blok K, Delemarre BJM, van Montfrans GA . Office, nurse, basal and ambulatory blood pressure as predictors of hypertensive target organ damage in male and female patients. J Hum Hypertens 1996; 10: 9–15.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Medicine, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Community Health Sciences, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

    N R C Campbell

  2. Division of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

    D W McKay

  3. Department of Cardiac Science, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

    H Conradson & T Anderson

  4. Division of Cardiology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    E Lonn

  5. Division of Cardiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

    L M Title

Authors
  1. N R C Campbell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. D W McKay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. H Conradson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. E Lonn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. L M Title
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. T Anderson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to N R C Campbell.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Campbell, N., McKay, D., Conradson, H. et al. Automated oscillometric blood pressure versus auscultatory blood pressure as a predictor of carotid intima–medial thickness in male firefighters. J Hum Hypertens 21, 588–590 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jhh.1002190

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jhh.1002190

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links