About blood pressure monitoring
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is a non-invasive way to record your blood pressure, monitoring is usually conducted over a 24 or 48 hour period. This way of monitoring allows your doctor to assess your blood pressure during your daily routine away from the doctors office. This consistent monitoring can give a good picture of how your blood pressure changes over a day or help to work out the most effective medication for you if you have high blood pressure.
What happens during monitoring?
-
About the monitor icon plus
You'll need to wear a blood pressure cuff around your non-dominant arm, which is attached to a small monitoring device. You'll wear the monitor, which is about the size of a small mobile phone, on a belt around your waist. It is small enough that you can continue your normal activities and sleep with it on.
The cuff will inflate automatically every 20 minutes throughout the day, and hourly after 11pm. You'll need to keep it on for the full 24 or 48 hours. You could put the monitor under a pillow or on the bed while you sleep. You should do everything you'd normally do, except for swimming or having a bath or shower. -
How to prepare icon plus
There is no special preparation needed for this test but as the machine makes a whirring noise when it inflates, you may wish to choose the day you do it. -
Afterwards icon plus
Your results will be downloaded by our cardiology department as soon as you return the monitor. The results will then be sent to your doctor within 24 hours.
How do I access Cardiac Care at HCA UK?
The HCA UK network of hospital and clinics offers a comprehensive cardiac service for those with cardiac problems and conditions. Your GP can refer you for diagnostic tests at a HCA UK location, or directly to a cardiologist for further investigations.
Our cardiac outpatient clinics
Throughout the HCA UK network, we offer clinics that are able to provide a range of cardiac testing on an outpatient basis.
Our cardiac physiology team will welcome you and talk you through what will happen during the test. A number of tests are available with the most common as follows:
Our facilities
For cardiac diagnostic tests, including ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, we provide facilities across our network of hospitals, outpatient centres and specialist clinics.
Request an appointment
We're happy to help you make an appointment with one of our experienced cardiologists.
020 7079 4344
This content is intended for general information only and does not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional.