COMPARISON OF ARTERIAL BLOOD PRESSURES OBTAINED FOLLOWING FOUR DIFFERENT REST INTERVALS

POSTER PRESENTATIONS

Introduction. Immediate cuff re-inflation, when acquisition of an initial arterial blood pressure (ABP) is missed, is thought to promote venous congestion and render spurious ABP values. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine if the imposition of differing rest periods between serial ABPs significantly influenced pressure readings. Design. This was a prospective, repeated measures study utilizing a convenience sample of university health professions students. Method. Twenty subjects (5 males, 25.6±3.3yrs; 15 females, 25.6±4.3yrs) participated. Following informed consent, subjects were positioned in supine for 5 minutes of quiet rest. Each subject was then seated comfortably with a blood pressure cuff affixed to the left arm following standard protocol. A Welch Allyn Connex® 6000 was used to obtain ABPs in randomized order. The interval between each initial pressure was: 1) no rest interval, 2) 30 s, 3) 60 s, and 4) 120 s. A 60 s recovery was interposed between each new interval. Alpha level was set at p ≤ 0.05; data were analyzed using SPSS Version 21 software. Bonferroni adjustment was provided for all repeated measure comparisons. Results. Data analysis revealed no significant differences between ABPs at any interval. Mean±SD mmHg for systolic and diastolic ABPs respectively were: no rest – 112.7±13.1, 72.6±9.1; 30 s – 111.9±11.4, 72.5±8.7; 60 s – 112.3±9.4, 72.7±9.2; and 120 s – 110.5±10.2, 72.4±8.6. Conclusions. Based on this study authors conclude that absence of a rest interval, or rest intervals of up to 120 s, does not significantly impact resting ABP when a second measurement is needed