Measurement of SBP at home by parents using hand-held Doppler device and aneroid sphygmomanometer: a single-centre experience

OBJECTIVE: We taught parents to use at home a hand-held Doppler device and aneroid sphygmomanometer for SBPmeasurement (HDBPM). METHODS: Retrospective study including all children referred to evaluate hypertension over a 6-year period. Each child underwent HDBPM measurements performed by parents while awake over 2 weeks with three measurements performed twice daily. RESULTS: Of n = 155 children, 145 (93.5%) were successful and aged median (interquartile range) 2.48 (1.01, 5.12) years, including 85 boys. Overall, there were 25, 19, 30 and 26% aged less than 1, 1 to less than 2, 2 to less than 5 and at least 5 years old, respectively. Seventy-eight (54%) had been referred for confirming diagnosis and 67 (46%) for ongoing monitoring of treated hypertension. Following HDBPM, 70 of 78 (90%) patients in the 'Diagnosis subgroup' were observed to have normal blood pressure (BP). In the monitoring subgroup, treated hypertension that required no medication changes was recorded in 35 of 67 (52%) and medication changed in 32 of 67 (48%), [increased, decreased or changed] in 22, 6 and 5%, respectively. In 10 of 67 (15%) medication was weaned and stopped completely following HDBPM. None of the children required admission to hospital to evaluate their BP level or manage hypertension. CONCLUSION: Out-of-office BP monitoring using HDBPM is acceptable to children and families of young children when parents are taught to measure BP and supported by health professionals. We report evidence of the feasibility and clinical utility of HDBPM in a challenging population of children who are either too young or unable to tolerate 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring for both the diagnosis and ongoing management of clinically relevant hypertension.