1. Hypertension and atrial fibrillation (AF) often coexist and are strong risk factors for stroke. Current guidelines for blood pressure (BP) measurement in AF recommend repeated measurements using the auscultatory method, whereas the accuracy of the automated devices is regarded as questionable. This review presents the current evidence on the feasibility and accuracy of automated BP measurement in the presence of AF and the potential for automated detection of undiagnosed AF during such measurements. 2. Studies evaluating the use of automated BP monitors in AF are limited and have significant heterogeneity in methodology and protocols. Overall, the oscillometric method is feasible for static (office or home) and ambulatory use and appears to be more accurate for systolic than diastolic BP measurement. 3. Given that systolic hypertension is particularly common and important in the elderly, the automated BP measurement method may be acceptable for self-home and ambulatory monitoring, but not for professional office or clinic measurement. 4. An embedded algorithm for the detection of asymptomatic AF during routine automated BP measurement with high diagnostic accuracy has been developed and appears to be a useful screening tool for elderly hypertensives.

Only 20-30% out of the treated hypertensive patients in Europe are achieving blood pressure (BP) control. Among other recognized factors, these poor results could be attributable to the fact that for many doctors it is very difficult to detect which is the predominant hemodynamic cause of the hypertension (hypervolemia, hyperinotropy or vasoconstriction). The aim of the study was to use non-invasive thoracic electrical bioimpedance (TEB) to evaluate hemodynamic modulators and subsequent hemodynamic status in uncontrolled hypertensive patients, receiving at least two antihypertensive drugs. A number of 134 uncontrolled hypertensive patients with essential hypertension were evaluated in nine European Hypertension Excellence centers by means of TEB (the HOTMAN(®) System). Baseline office systolic and diastolic BP averaged 156/92 mmHg. Hemodynamic measurements show that almost all patients (98.5%) presented at least one altered hemodynamic modulator: intravascular hypervolemia (96.4%) and/or hypoinotropy (42.5%) and/or vasoconstriction (49.3%). Eleven combinations of hemodynamic modulators were present in the study population, the most common being concomitant hypervolemia, hypoinotropy and vasoconstriction in 51(38%) patients. Six different hemodynamic states (pairs of mean arterial pressure and stroke index) were found. Data suggest that there is a strong relation between hypertension and abnormal hemodynamic modulators. This method might be helpful for treatment individualization of hypertensive patients.

To investigate the implementation of home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) guidelines, a phone survey was performed in 366 primary care physicians (PCPs). Of the PCPs, 90% routinely used HBPM for white-coat hypertension, treatment titration, and diagnosis. Thirty percent trusted HBPM more than office measurements. Reported drawbacks were questionable reliability of patients' reports and devices inaccuracy. Thirty-one percent advised patients on device selection, 38% were aware of validated devices, and 69% reviewed (not averaged) the readings. Seventy-nine percent used higher than recommended threshold for hypertension diagnosis. Although PCPs routinely use HBPM, there are important gaps in their knowledge and educational activities are required.

The prevalence of elevated blood pressure in children and adolescents is more common than previously believed and often represents the early onset of essential hypertension, particularly in adolescents. The definition of hypertension in children is based on distribution criteria and normalcy tables that provide blood pressure percentiles for each measurement method (office, ambulatory and home) according to the individual's age, gender and body size. Owing to the white coat and masked hypertension phenomena, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is indispensable for the diagnosis of hypertension in children. Home blood pressure monitoring in children has been less well studied, and at present, treatment decisions should not be based solely on such measurements. Hypertension-induced preclinical target-organ damage (mainly echocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy) is not uncommon in children and should be evaluated in all hypertensive children. Other indices of target-organ damage, such as carotid intima-media thickness, pulse wave velocity and microalbuminuria, remain under investigation in pediatric hypertension.

The lack of outcome-driven operational thresholds limits the clinical application of home blood pressure (BP) measurement. Our objective was to determine an outcome-driven reference frame for home BP measurement. We measured home and clinic BP in 6470 participants (mean age, 59.3 years; 56.9% women; 22.4% on antihypertensive treatment) recruited in Ohasama, Japan (n=2520); Montevideo, Uruguay (n=399); Tsurugaya, Japan (n=811); Didima, Greece (n=665); and nationwide in Finland (n=2075). In multivariable-adjusted analyses of individual subject data, we determined home BP thresholds, which yielded 10-year cardiovascular risks similar to those associated with stages 1 (120/80 mm Hg) and 2 (130/85 mm Hg) prehypertension, and stages 1 (140/90 mm Hg) and 2 (160/100 mm Hg) hypertension on clinic measurement. During 8.3 years of follow-up (median), 716 cardiovascular end points, 294 cardiovascular deaths, 393 strokes, and 336 cardiac events occurred in the whole cohort; in untreated participants these numbers were 414, 158, 225, and 194, respectively. In the whole cohort, outcome-driven systolic/diastolic thresholds for the home BP corresponding with stages 1 and 2 prehypertension and stages 1 and 2 hypertension were 121.4/77.7, 127.4/79.9, 133.4/82.2, and 145.4/86.8 mm Hg; in 5018 untreated participants, these thresholds were 118.5/76.9, 125.2/79.7, 131.9/82.4, and 145.3/87.9 mm Hg, respectively. Rounded thresholds for stages 1 and 2 prehypertension and stages 1 and 2 hypertension amounted to 120/75, 125/80, 130/85, and 145/90 mm Hg, respectively. Population-based outcome-driven thresholds for home BP are slightly lower than those currently proposed in hypertension guidelines. Our current findings could inform guidelines and help clinicians in diagnosing and managing patients.

The objective of this study is to construct an International Database of HOme blood pressure in relation to Cardiovascular Outcome (IDHOCO). The main goal of this database is to determine outcome-based diagnostic thresholds for the self-measured home blood pressure (BP). Secondary objectives include investigating the predictive value of white-coat and masked hypertension, morning and evening BP, BP and heart rate variability, and the home arterial stiffness index. We also aim to determine an optimal schedule for home BP measurements that provides the most accurate risk stratification. Eligible studies are population-based, have fatal as well as nonfatal outcomes available for analysis, comply with ethical standards, and have been previously published in peer-reviewed journals. In a meta-analysis based on individual subject data, composite and cause-specific cardiovascular events will be related to various indexes derived by home BP measurement. The analyses will be stratified by a cohort and adjusted for the clinic BP and established cardiovascular risk factors. The database includes 6753 subjects from five cohorts recruited in Ohasama, Japan (n=2777); Finland (n=2075); Tsurugaya, Japan (n=836); Didima, Greece (n=665); and Montevideo, Uruguay (n=400). In these five cohorts, during a total of 62 106 person-years of follow-up (mean 9.2 years), 852 subjects died and 740 participants experienced a fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular event. IDHOCO provides a unique opportunity to investigate several hypotheses that could not reliably be studied in individual studies. The results of these analyses should be of help to clinicians involved in the management of patients with suspected or established hypertension.

Measurement of the ankle-brachial index (ABI) using a Doppler device is widely used to identify subjects with peripheral artery disease (PAD), and those who are at high risk of cardiovascular disease. This paper presents a systematic review (Medline/PubMed, Embase and Cochrane) and meta-analysis of studies assessing the usefulness of automated oscillometric devices for ABI estimation and PAD detection compared with the conventional Doppler method. A total of 25 studies including 4186 subjects were analyzed. A random-effects model analysis showed that the average oscillometric ABI was similar to the Doppler ABI (mean difference ± s.e. 0.020 ± 0.018, P=0.3) but that the absolute differences were significant (0.048 ± 0.009, P<0.01). The pooled correlation coefficient (r) between the oscillometric and Doppler ABI was 0.71 ± 0.05. Simultaneous arm-leg measurements resulted in a smaller difference between the average oscillometric ABI value and the average Doppler ABI value than did sequential measurements (-0.012 ± 0.022 vs. 0.040 ± 0.026, respectively, P<0.01). The average sensitivity and specificity of the oscillometric ABI estimation in PAD diagnosis was 69 ± 6% and 96 ± 1%, respectively (with Doppler ABI taken as the reference). These data suggest that an automated ABI measurement obtained by oscillometric blood pressure monitors is a reliable and practical alternative to the conventional Doppler measurement for the detection of PAD. To increase the sensitivity of the PAD diagnosis based on an oscillometric ABI, a higher threshold of 1.0 might be preferable.

Several studies with relatively small size and different design and end points have investigated the diagnostic ability of home blood pressure (HBP). This study investigated the usefulness of HBP compared with ambulatory monitoring (ABP) in diagnosing sustained hypertension, white coat phenomenon (WCP) and masked hypertension (MH) in a large sample of untreated and treated subjects using a blood pressure (BP) measurement protocol according to the current guidelines. A total of 613 subjects attending a hypertension clinic (mean age 53±12.4 (s.d.) years, men 57%, untreated 59%) had measurements of clinic BP (three visits, triplicate measurements per visit), HBP (6 days, duplicate morning and evening measurements) and awake ABP (20-min intervals) within 6 weeks. Sustained hypertension was diagnosed in 50% of the participants by ABP and HBP (agreement 89%, κ=0.79), WCP in 14 and 15%, respectively (agreement 89%, κ=0.56) and MH in 16% and 15% (agreement 88%, κ=0.52). Only 4% of the subjects (27/613) showed clinically significant diagnostic disagreement with BP deviation >5 mm Hg above the diagnostic threshold (for HBP or ABP). By taking ABP as reference, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value of HBP in detecting sustained hypertension were 90, 89, 89 and 90%, respectively, WCP 61, 94, 64 and 94% and MH 60, 93, 60 and 93%. Similar diagnostic agreement was found in untreated and treated subjects. HBP appears to be a reliable alternative to ABP in the diagnosis of hypertension and the detection of WCP and MH in both untreated and treated subjects.