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Microlife Press Release .... 2005
Hypertension in pregnancy:
Microlife introduces validated blood pressure monitor for early detection of pre-eclampsia
Self-monitoring of blood pressure in pregnancy is crucial
New study proves accuracy of automated devices according to validation protocols
Appropriate sized cuff contributes to reading reliability
Up to 20% of pregnant women are affected by high blood pressure. Severe hypertension is likely to be the most significant aetiological factor related to maternal mortality in pre-eclampsia. Therefore early detection and anti-hypertensive treatments are crucial.
A monitoring device that enables pregnant women to monitor their blood pressure safely and accurately at home, has been presented at the congress of the European Hypertension Society in Milan, Italy. "The Microlife blood pressure monitor 3BTO-A(2) is the only device that can be recommended for blood pressure assessment in pre-eclampsia, and it can also be used for home monitoring", said Professor Andrew H. Shennan from St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK (1). The expert of Obstetrics and Gynaecology assessed the accuracy of the automated device in a prospective observational study with 105 pregnant women according to the British Hypertension Society (BHS) protocol (2). "Raised blood pressure is the key to detecting pre-eclampsia. To improve surveillance, pregnant women can now use this new monitor at home. Every woman should have their blood pressure checked regularly in pregnancy", says Professor Shennan. "This enables the early diagnosis of pre-eclampsia and the initiation of therapeutic measures, or delivery of the baby before any serious problem ensues."
Various devices, recommended in an adult and pregnant population according to the BHS criteria, under-estimated blood pressure quite significantly when assessed in pre-eclampsia. Inaccurate measurement of automated devices - mean differences ranged from 15 mmHg to 25 mmHg - could lead to false readings, which in pre-eclampsia can be clinically important. "The reading reliability of Microlife's 3BTO-A(2) during pregnancy and in the presence of pre-eclampsia, makes it the first home-use monitor especially suitable for pregnant women", Shennan said. The use of an appropriately sized cuff contributes to this indication because almost half of all pre-eclamptic women had an augmented arm circumference of 39 cm and more in this study. The Microlife device meets both the British Hypertension Society and European Society for Hypertension protocols, receiving the highest possible grade for accuracy (A/A).
Microlife's 3BTO-A(2) for use in pregnancy is exclusively available in pharmacies. Further information on the Microlife range of blood pressure monitors is available at: www.microlife.com .
References:
- Pre-eclampsia: First home detection with automatic blood pressure monitor from Microlife, press conference, Congress of the European Society of Hypertension, 18.06.2005, Milan / Italy
- Reinders A, Cuckson A, Lee J and Shennan A; An accurate automated blood pressure device for use in pregnancy and pre-eclampsia: the Microlife 3BTO-A. RCOG 2005 BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Vol. 112, Issue7, pp. 915-920, July 2005.
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