Does using a medium versus large adult cuff affect blood pressure readings in individuals with muscular arms?
Using an inappropriately small blood pressure cuff on muscular arms leads to falsely elevated systolic blood pressure readings, which could result in the misdiagnosis of hypertension.
OBJECTIVE: This study analyzed systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) reading differences in individuals with muscular arms, using medium and large adult cuffs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Resting blood pressures (BPs) were measured in bodybuilders competing at the Mexican National Bodybuilding and Fitness Championship. The means of two bilateral simultaneous arm BP measurements were obtained using two different cuff sizes, 12 cm (medium adult) and 16 cm (large adult). RESULTS: A total of 193 bodybuilders completed the measurements. With an arm circumference greater than 33 cm, the SBP and DBP average taken with the medium adult cuff was higher than that obtained with the large adult cuff, 8.2+/-10.6 and 1.6+/-7.4 mmHg, respectively; however, a significant difference was observed only with the SBP. With the medium adult cuff, 48 of 144 individuals showed SBP at least 140 mmHg, whereas with the large adult cuff there were only 17 of 144 individuals. In those participants with an arm circumference less than 33 cm, the BP was nonsignificantly lower with the large cuff, -4.24+/-9.2 and -2.24+/-5.4 mmHg for the SBP and DBP, respectively. CONCLUSION: Incorrect cuffing of a muscular arm leads to significant errors in the measurement of SBP and DBP, similar to that observed in miscuffing of nonmuscular arms.
Fonseca‐Reyes et al. (Tue,) studied this question.