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Addressing BP Measurement Difficulties: Determine and
correct the reason for the BP measurement difficulty. Often
the problem is one or more of:
1) movement during the determination (calm the animal)
2) cuff is not proper size or snugness (check size/fit)
3) initial cuff inflation is too low (pump cuff higher)
Remember that measuring accurate BP on animals is
not trivial
and attention to every detail is important. For
example, steps to improve the measurement process after a
failure might include one or more of the following: (1) resize
or tighten the cuff (2) reposition the animal so that there is
no weight bearing on the limb on which the cuff is being
used (3) calm the animal by petting it to reassure it until it is
again relaxed and not moving, waiting 8-10 min for animal
to re-establish its normal BP after calming it (4) change cuff
to another site if repeated failures.
Experts in the field of animal BP measurement stress
that the most important elements contributing to the success
of the blood pressure measurement session are the skill,
experience, and patience of the person measuring the
pressure. They also suggest that it will typically take 10-25
minutes to get the 4-8 GOOD readings
needed to accurately
measure the animal’s pressure. Remember, if the animal is
upset, it will take 8-10 minutes for the animal’s blood
pressure to return to normal once the animal is calmed.
CAUTION: Do not keep the cuff inflated on an animal
for more than a minute. Animal distress, blood
circulation interference, and even injury to the animal
could potentially occur. Protracted determination
times are generally caused by excessive animal
movement and should be terminated by deflating the
cuff fully and then starting again.
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