Blood pressure measurement. Criteria employed in scientific articles published in Brazilian journals

To evaluate the criteria used for the technique of blood pressure measurement in scientific articles published in Brazilian journals. Two hundred twenty three scientific articles from 18 medical journals, published between 1989 and 1994 were evaluated, in order to identify the type of sphygmomanometer used; the state of calibration; the cuff size; the position of the patient during the measurement; whether the blood pressure measurement was obtained after a resting period; the phase used to identify the systolic and diastolic pressures; and the number of readings taken. There was no reference in the articles about the following data: the type of sphygmomanometer in 51%, the accuracy of calibration in 82%, the cuff size in 64%, the position of the patient in 25%, the rest period before measurement in 60%, the systolic and diastolic phases in 49%, and the number of measurements in 52%. Most of the papers analyzed did not follow or omitted important aspects cited in national and international recommendations for the correct blood pressure measurement.