Veterinary Integrative Sciences (Mar 2024)
The appropriate technique for blood pressure measurement in healthy geriatric cats using an automatic oscillometric device
Abstract
Currently, the popularity of owning cats is increasing, together with improvements in diet, management, and veterinary specialism. The population of older cats has accordingly increased markedly. There are several health problems that accompany aging, such as degenerative diseases and cardiopulmonary disorders. Hypertension is the most common clinical sign that has been found in aging cats. Therefore, early screening for hypertension is necessary to prevent disease progression. However, cats are sensitive and are likely to develop mental stress during the measurement procedure, so an appropriate technique is required. The experiment was performed in 60 healthy elderly cats, whereby each cat was randomly assigned to one of the two trial groups. There were two groups in the experiment: 1) the cuff was placed on the forelimb at all times and the blood pressure was measured at 0, 5, 15, 30, and 60 minutes, and 2) the cuff was placed after waiting to rest at 30 and 60 minutes, followed by blood pressure measurement using the automatic oscillometric device. The results showed that blood pressure measurement at 15 minutes while placing the forelimb cuff at all times provided appropriate clinical reliability. Thus, this procedure could be used for hypertension screening in geriatric cats