Home blood pressure monitoring: validation of the Braun BP 2550 equipment

Home blood pressure (HBP) monitoring have been increasingly encouraged by physicians in order to facilitate optimal control of BP. However, prior to marketing, BP measuring devices should be independently validated. The aim of this study was to determine the accuracy of the Braun Precision Sensor BP2550 monitor with reference to a mercury sphygmomanometer (HgS) according to the AAMI and BHS protocols. The reproducibility of HBP was compared in 88 subjects. To obtain the HBP values, sequential same-arm measurements between the test device(Braun PS-BP2550) and a standard HgS (Baumanometer) were carried according to the AAMI and BHS protocols. Excellent agreement was found between auscultatory and Braun Precision Sensor methods for systolic and diastolic BP. Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated that the observers-device disagreement was -2.74 ± 4.1 (Braun lower) for systolic and +3.08 ± 3.5 mmHg (Braun higher) for diastolic BP. The comparative study between measurements done at home shows: The reproducibility of home blood pressure with Braun BP 2550 is as good as that of the HgS. In the present study the Braun PS device attained acceptable AAMI and BHS grades for both SBP and DBP. The equipment can therefore be recommended for home BP self-measurement in the treatment and ongoing control of hypertensives. (See Table) BP MERCURY SPHYG BRAUN BP2550 SBP 156 ± 8 152 ± 8 DBP 89 ± 6 85 ± 6