12hr Blood Pressure Monitoring

Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitor Patient Information Leaflet

What is an Ambulatory Blood pressure Monitor?

A clinician needs an average of your blood pressure (BP) over approximately 12 hours.

You are required to wear a BP cuff on your arm, attached to a small box in a carry case over your shoulder. The equipment will be fitted by a member of the nursing team at Cherry Hinton Medical Centre. You will wear it from your appointment time until you go to bed that evening. It must be returned the next day at 8am.

What should I wear when I attend for the appointment?

You will need to wear clothing that has fairly wide or flexible sleeves so that the cuff worn underneath has room to inflate.

What happens after I leave the surgery with the equipment?

The BP cuff will inflate every half hour. We need your readings at rest to accurately treat you. You must follow the steps below:

1. Each time the machine beeps (immediately prior to each test)

• a. Stop what you are doing and rest, ideally seated
• b. Make sure the cable is not flattened or bent, blocking the air flow
• c. Uncross your legs
• d. Stop talking
• e. Rest your arm on a surface and keep it still. If you move your arm the reading will fail. This will show on the screen as an “Error”. If it errors/fails, please sit down, follow the above steps and then press the triangle/square button to restart the reading

During the rest of the day you can carry out your normal activities, but you will not be able to have a bath or a shower whilst wearing the equipment. We do not advise driving, other than to and from the appointment, as the BP monitor can be a distraction.

Prior to bed (ideally after 9pm), please take off the cuff and press the __ button to turn off the machine. The screen will go blank.

Will I experience any discomfort or side effects?

The machine tends to inflate tighter than a traditional BP machine. We have no control over this. You may experience a tingling sensation in your arm when the cuff is inflating. This will resolve when the cuff deflates.

What happens after the test?

You will need to return the equipment to the reception desk at Cherry hinton Medical centre at 8am or as instructed at your appointment.

When/how will I receive the results of the test?

If we have your mobile number, we will text you the results and advise you of the next steps. If you do not have a mobile number, we will either call or write to you.

What will happen if I do not want to have this test?

If you do not have this test we will be unable to pass important diagnostic information to the doctors. This may affect the treatment you receive.