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VIEWPOINT

If only cardiologists did properly measure blood pressure

Blood pressure recordings in daily practice and clinical trials

Franz H. Messerli, MD, FACC^*,*, William B. White, MD and Jan A. Staessen, MD

^* Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, USA
Campus Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium

Manuscript received May 15, 2002; revised manuscript received July 24, 2002, accepted August 26, 2002.

^* Reprint requests and correspondence: Dr. Franz Messerli, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, 1514 Jefferson Highway, New Orleans, Louisiana 70121, USA.
fmesserli{at}aol.com

Blood pressure (BP) is often measured sloppily, not only in clinical practice, where seemingly more important cardiovascular information, such as ejection fraction, cardiac output, and wedge pressure, is available, but also in clinical trials. Yet, definite conclusions often hinge on accurate BP measurements. In the Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation (HOPE) study, the conclusion of the benefits being relatively independent of BP was challenged by 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring in a subgroup that documented a larger fall in BP than reported in the whole population. Whether measured in office or clinical trials, BP is an important clinical tool that should be treasured by practitioners and clinical investigators alike.

Abbreviations and Acronyms   ACE   angiotensin-converting enzyme   BP   blood pressure   HOPE   Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation   PREVENT   Prospective Randomized Evaluation of the Vascular Effects of Norvasc Trial   QUIET   Quinapril Ischemic Event Trial   Syst-Eur   Systolic Hypertension in Europe

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