The effect of cuff size on the blood pressure in individuals with large arm diameter

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the blood pressure measurements obtained using 22x32 cm standard and 32x42 cm wide cuffs in individuals with large arm circumferences. Method: A descriptive and cross sectional study was carried out in the obesity clinics of a university hospital between April and November 2011. The study included 122 adult individuals with 32 cm or larger arm circumference, without any physical interference on the measured arm such as mastectomy, burn, fistula or deformity and who accepted to participate in the study. After written informed consents were taken from the individuals participating in the study, a blood pressure measurement was first performed from the left arms of the individuals in the sitting position with the larger cuff of the sphygmomanometer, and then they were let to rest for 3 minutes. The measurement was repeated by using the smaller cuff of the sphygmomanometer. Wilcoxon paired two-sample test was used for the comparison of the blood pressure data obtained by using standard and large cuffs. Results: The blood pressure measurements performed by the standard cuff were higher than these performed by the large cuff p0.05 . Conclusion: The selection of proper sized cuffs for the measurement of blood pressure would prevent inaccurate results