For more 20 years, noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) monitors have been widely used in operating rooms and critical care units to closely monitor blood pressure in patients of all ages. Despite the widespread use of automated blood pressure monitors, clinicians continue to deliberate over the accuracy and reliability of automated NIBP devices compared to other methods of blood pressure determination. The following answers to commonly asked questions about the use of NIBP monitoring are based on clinical research.

Q: How do blood pressure measurements obtained with automatic noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) devices compare to direct arterial measurement of blood pressure?

Clinical research studies have demonstrated that when blood pressures (systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial) determined by NIBP monitors from various manufacturers are compared to direct arterial pressures, the two values are, on average, within 5 mm Hg of each other.1– 9 Factors such as the anatomical location of measurement...

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