How to measure blood pressure: direct and indirect techniques
Lindsay Clapham
Friday, July 1, 2011
Monitoring blood pressure has become more widely recognized as a vital part of patient care. Veterinary nurses often carry out this procedure in conscious and anaesthetized patients. As most veterinary practices will use indirect methods of measurement, standardization of the measurement process is vital to ensure accurate results are achieved. Direct monitoring is still considered to be the gold standard form of measurement particularly in critically ill patients where accuracy is vital. It is widely held that direct monitoring is less commonly performed due to the increased costs and skills required to place and maintain an arterial line. This article examines the monitoring equipment available and how to standardize the measurement process in order to achieve accurate results.
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