Incorrect arm position may skew blood pressure readings
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- Reviewed by Christopher P. Cannon, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
Letting your arm dangle or rest in your lap during a blood pressure check can cause a falsely high reading, a new study finds.
For an accurate blood pressure reading, your arm should be supported so your elbow is at about the level of your heart. But this practice isn't always followed.
Researchers recruited 133 adults ages 18 to 80 to study the effects of three arm positions during a blood pressure check: supported on a desk, resting in the person's lap, or hanging by their side. They found that lap support overestimated systolic blood pressure (the first number in a reading) by nearly 4 points, while having a dangling arm overestimated it by nearly 7 points, on average. The error was even greater among people with high blood pressure (a reading of 130/80 or higher): their average systolic blood pressure was 9 points higher when their arm was dangling than when it was correctly supported. The findings were published online Oct. 7, 2024, by JAMA Internal Medicine.
Image: © Milan Markovic/Getty Images
About the Author
Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
About the Reviewer
Christopher P. Cannon, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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