II. Definitions
- Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring
- Automated 24-48 hour Blood Pressure recording
- Analogous to a Holter Monitor for Blood Pressure
III. Indications
- Newly diagnosed Hypertension (especially borderline)
- White-coat Hypertension
- Drug-Resistant Hypertension
- Pregnancy-induced Hypertension
- Evaluation of Antihypertensive efficacy
- Episodes of symptomatic Hypertension
- Autonomic Neuropathy
- Orthostatic Hypotension
- Identify increased or decreased Blood Pressure patterns (e.g. high in morning, compared with evening)
IV. Cost
- Initial equipment investment: $5000
- Patient cost: $100 to $300
V. Precautions
- Overnight readings are often inaccurate or absent from recording
- Most patients do not tolerate interrupted sleep by cuff inflation