Clinical evaluation of the Dinamap non-invasive blood pressure monitor in pre-term neonates.

The performance of the Dinamap 847 non-invasive blood pressure monitor was evaluated in a group of 10 severely ill pre-term newborn babies. The mean gestational age was 30 weeks and mean birthweight of 1610 gm. The values of systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressure obtained by the Dinamap were compared with the corresponding values of actual pressure through a right radial artery catheter. All these values showed a high degree of correlation. No complications were noted. It was concluded that the Dinamap 847 should be considered as an alternative for monitoring the arterial blood pressure in pre-term neonates where arterial catheterisation is either not justified or impossible.