A new method developed by researchers at the University of Exeter Medical School could significantly improve the way blood pressure is measured in people who cannot use their arms for standard readings.
Published in BMJ Open and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) School for Primary Care Research (SPCR), the study analysed data from over 33,000 individuals to build a personalised predictive model. This model allows for more accurate estimations of arm blood pressure using ankle readings which could be a crucial development for people with disabilities, limb loss, or stroke-related impairments.
An online calculator, called the ABLE-BP Tool, is now available to help healthcare professionals and patients interpret ankle blood pressure more reliably.
Professor Chris Clark, who led the study, explained that while the new method improves accuracy for just 2% more people, that could mean 750 fewer misdiagnoses each year in England alone – and tens of thousands globally.
Read more on the University of Exeter website
Further Links:
- BMJ Open paper: Arm Based on LEg blood pressures (ABLE-BP): can systolic ankle blood pressure measurements predict systolic arm blood pressure? An individual participant data meta-analysis from the INTERPRESS-IPD Collaboration
- Sinead T J McDonagh is funded by an NIHR School for Primary Care Research (SPCR) Postdoctoral Fellowship. Christopher Elles Clark was supported by an NIHR SPCR grant (no. 512)
