Survey of 23 Nordic university hospitals showed that 77% lacked written procedures for measuring and interpreting blood pressure in infants

• Aim This study determined the use of standardised procedures for infant noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) measurements in the Nordic countries and aimed to identify factors included in the standardisation and interpretation of NIBP measurements in infants. Methods A cross-sectional electronic questionnaire survey was sent to 84 physicians in all 23 university hospitals in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland and was completed from February to March 2017. The survey contained respondent characteristics, the presence and description of standardised procedures for NIBP measurements, daily practice of NIBP measurements and methodological considerations and interpretation of NIBP measurements in a healthy six-month-old child. Results We received responses from 55 of 84 physicians working in all 23 Nordic university hospitals, in paediatric cardiology (n = 22), general paediatrics (n = 16), paediatric nephrology (n = 14) and other fields (n = 3). Less than a quarter (23%) said their hospital issued specific NIBP procedures relating to infants and they referred to 19 different sources of information. The factors that were most commonly assessed for interpretation were age (100%), arousal state (78%) and cuff size (76%). Conclusion Most of the university hospital units treating children lacked age-specific written procedures for measuring and interpreting infant NIBP, and there is a strong need for common Nordic guidelines.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Pediatrik (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Pediatrics (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Blood pressure

Cross-sectional survey

Guidelines

Infants

Normal values

1st 5 years

Pediatrics

swiet m

1980

pediatrics

v65

p1028

swiet m

1992

british medical journal

v304

p23

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)