Preparing for a test – 24-hour blood pressure monitoring

ABOUT THE TEST:

24-hour blood pressure monitoring is a diagnostic test that automatically monitors your blood pressure throughout the day and night using a special device consisting of an upper-arm cuff connected to a recorder. Normal blood pressure readings obtained during this test vary depending on the time of day when they were taken. Readings above 130/85 mmHg during the day and above 120/80 mmHg at night are considered abnormal. Average blood pressure over the full 24-hour period is also assessed.

HOW THE TEST WORKS:

The blood pressure monitor is fitted at ETER-MED branch no. 1 at ul. Jaskółcza 7/15 (reception on the ground floor),
or at ul. Kazimierza Górskiego 1. A cuff is fitted around the patient’s upper arm and connected to a special battery-powered device, about the size of a small transistor radio, which has an automatic pump and is attached to a belt. This device measures blood pressure automatically. Blood pressure is recorded by the device throughout the day and night – usually every 15 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes at night. Each time, the cuff inflates for several tens of seconds. After 24 hours, the device and cuff are removed at ETER-MED branch no. 1 at ul. Jaskółcza 7/15 or at ul. Kazimierza Górskiego 1 (depending on where the device was fitted). The 24-hour blood pressure recording is uploaded to a computer and then interpreted by a cardiologist.

PURPOSE OF THE TEST:

This test enables hypertension to be diagnosed and its treatment to be monitored. It is also helpful in diagnosing other symptoms that may be caused by, for example, drops or fluctuations in blood pressure. As many factors can affect a blood pressure reading at a particular moment (such as the emotions associated with a visit to the doctor), a single reading may not be sufficient to determine whether a blood pressure disorder is present or absent. For this reason, monitoring blood pressure over 24 hours using an ambulatory blood pressure monitor is the most effective and increasingly used method for diagnosing blood pressure disorders.

WHEN THE TEST IS RECOMMENDED:

• Hypertension
• Assessing the effectiveness of treatment and ruling out so-called “white coat” hypertension (raised blood pressure that occurs only during visits to the doctor)
• Assessing blood pressure during normal daily activities
• Low blood pressure
• Conditions in which sudden changes in blood pressure may be responsible for the patient’s symptoms.

PREPARATION AND CONTRAINDICATIONS:

The test is meaningful if the device records blood pressure during a normal day (work, everyday household activities, active leisure and sleep), so the patient should not limit their usual physical activity. There are no contraindications to this test. It can be repeated many times. It is performed in patients of all ages, including pregnant women. WAITING TIME FOR RESULTS: The patient receives the result, in the form of a report by a cardiologist interpreting the readings from the blood pressure monitor, approximately three weeks after returning the device. The result report is issued in Polish.

WHERE AND HOW CAN YOU HAVE THE TEST?

In Gdańsk, blood pressure monitors are fitted at the Cardiology Centre at ETER-MED branch no. 1 at ul. Jaskółcza 7/15