Blood pressure measurement in pregnancy: the effect of arm circumference and sphygmomanometer cuff size

This study aimed to assess the difference in blood pressure readings between the standard and large cuff and to determine if such a difference applies over a range of arm circumferences (ACs) in pregnancy. We measured blood pressure on 219 antenatal women. Six blood pressure readings were taken, three with a standard 'adult' and three with a 'large' cuff, in random order. A random zero sphygmomanometer was used by a trained observer. Women with an AC >33 cm were similar in age, gestational age and parity but were heavier and had more hypertension than those with AC <= 33 cm. There was a systematic difference between the standard and large cuff of 5-7 mmHg with little effect due to AC. We were unable to demonstrate an association between the standard and large cuff blood pressure difference and increasing blood pressure. Our study has shown that both systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements are more dependent on the cuff size used than AC and for the individual it is difficult to predict the magnitude of effect the different cuff sizes will have on blood pressure measurements. This study has shown the presence of an average difference in blood pressure measurement between standard and large cuffs in pregnancy, and does not support the arbitrary 33 cm 'cut-off' recommended in guidelines for the use of a large cuff in pregnancy.