A 55-year-old woman presents to the office for a follow-up visit regarding uncontrolled hypertension (HTN). Her blood pressure (BP) remains above her treatment goal despite taking two antihypertensive medications.
In addition to increasing the pharmacological treatment regimen, the cardiovascular clinician implements home BP monitoring. When the clinician educates the patient on home BP monitoring, the patient asks how to select the best BP monitor for purchase to begin home monitoring.
As long as the BP monitor is an automated device and is marketed for measuring BP, it has been validated by the manufacturer.
Show Answer
The correct answer is: Fiction
The 2017 Multisociety Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of BP in Adults recommends that BP should be measured using an automated BP monitor that has been validated for accuracy and approved by regulatory agencies.1 Validation testing is conducted using a standardized protocol in a broad population (different body sizes, sex, and BPs) by independent investigators external to the manufacturer.2
Research has shown that only 6-15% of BP monitors currently on the market are validated.2 Without knowledge of how to distinguish validated from nonvalidated BP monitors, patients have a high likelihood of purchasing a nonvalidated BP monitor, which may result in inaccurate measurements.
One way to confirm whether a BP monitor has been validated for accuracy in the United States is to check an online registry such as https://www.validatebp.org. Another European-based registry is the StrideBP registry available at https://www.stridebp.org/bp-monitors. Both registries provide information about whether a BP monitor has been validated. Consumers need to enter the precise model for the monitor or enter the manufacturer and scroll down to find the model. If the model is not listed, it has not been validated.2
This patient case quiz is part of the larger Overcoming Challenges in Hypertension Management grant. Educational grant support is provided by Medtronic. To visit the Overcoming Challenges in Hypertension Management grant page and access additional educational activities on this topic, click here.
References
Whelton PK, Carey RM, Aronow WS, et al. 2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APha/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA guideline for the prevention, detection, evaluation, and management of high blood pressure in adults: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines. J Am Coll Cardiol 2018;71:e127-e248.
Picone DS, Padwal R, Campbell NRC, et al.; Accuracy in Measurement of Blood Pressure (AIM-BP) Collaborative. How to check whether a blood pressure monitor has been properly validated for accuracy. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) 2020;22:2167-74.
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