SIMULTANEOUS COMPARISON OF BLOOD PRESSURE MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES IN THE HYPOTENSIVE PATIENT.

The hypotension usually associated with trauma makes measurement of blood pressure by ascultation or palpation difficult. The purpose of this study was to compare an automatic noninvasive blood pressure monitor (NIBP), ultrasonic doppler vascular flow probe (DVFP), and an intra-arterial catheter in measuring systolic pressures in the hypotensive patient. Because it would be difficult to conduct the study on actual trauma patients, the data was gathered using patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery. The systolic pressures measured in these patients ranged between 56 and 100 mm Hg. The data shows that the best correlation with occlusion pressure was obtained by the DVFP. The NIBP was not always able to make a prompt determination and occasionally had to cycle more than once. We have demonstrated that an accurate measure of systolic pressure during hypotension may be made utilizing a DVFP in place of a stethescope.