Measuring the level of agreement between directly measured blood pressure and pressure readings obtained with a veterinary-specific oscillometric unit in anesthetized dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if an oscillometric device optimized for use in dogs produces systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressures (MAPs) measurements that are in good agreement with directly obtained pressures
DESIGN: Prospective study.
SETTING: University teaching hospital. ANIMALS: Twenty-one dogs under general anesthesia for surgical procedures.
INTERVENTIONS: A 20-Ga catheter was placed into the dorsal pedal artery and systolic, diastolic, and MAPs were directly measured using a validated blood pressure measurement system. Indirect blood pressure measurements were collected using a widely available veterinary oscillometric blood pressure unit. Results obtained by the 2 methods were then compared.
MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Agreement between the directly and indirectly measured pressure demonstrated a bias of 9.9 mm Hg and limits of agreement (LOA) 73.7 to -53.9, a bias of -8.9 mm Hg and LOA 23.3 to -41.2, and a bias of -6.3 mm Hg and LOA 28.2 to -40.8 for systolic, diastolic, and MAP, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: There was poor agreement between the direct and indirect measured blood pressure measurement systems. Therefore, use of the oscillometric blood pressure unit evaluated in this study for monitoring patients under anesthesia cannot be recommended at this time. © Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society 2013.