Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is a test that allows blood pressure and heart rate to be recorded at set intervals for a period of 24 hours, during which patients can carry on with their usual daily activities. Blood pressure varies throughout the day depending on a person’s emotional state and activities. Therefore, when blood pressure is measured at a particular time, it may not reflect the actual blood pressure. The results of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring allow the doctor to assess the variations of patients’ blood pressure throughout the 24-hour monitoring period.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is very useful if a patient is suffered from high blood pressure. It allows doctor to assess if current blood pressure medications are effective. It is also useful in the assessment of mild hypertension, which may be over-diagnosed based on a one-off blood pressure measurement. The results of this test can also indicate any blood pressure fluctuations.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring may be required if a patient is suffered from palpitations, giddiness, fatigue and spells of rapid heartbeat. The correlation of blood pressure readings with patient’s daily activity allows the doctor to determine what activities trigger the symptoms, and if these symptoms are related to high blood pressure.