Are You Holding Your Arm the Right Way When Your Blood Pressure Is Taken?

How you hold your arm during a blood pressure test can significantly impact the accuracy of your results.

A new study finds not following current guidelines during a BP screening may lead to a misdiagnosis of hypertension.

Researchers looked at the effects of three common arm positions on 133 adults, 18 to 80 years old. They tested an arm supported on a desk, an arm supported on a lap, and an unsupported arm hanging at the patient’s side.

The results showed lap support overestimated both the systolic, or top number, and the diastolic, or bottom number, by about 4 millimeters of mercury – which is the unit used to measure BP.

An unsupported arm hanging at the side overestimated the top number by nearly 7 and the bottom number by more than 4.

The American Heart Association recommends the BP cuff be positioned at mid-heart level on an arm supported on a desk or table.

Proper cuff size and placing your feet flat on the floor with your legs uncrossed are also important.

The senior author says health care providers must pay closer attention to current guidelines and patients “must advocate for themselves in the clinical setting and when measuring their BP at home.”

Source: JAMA Internal Medicine

Author Affiliations: Johns Hopkins Medicine