BP monitors in AF
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Validation of home blood pressure monitors in patients with atrial fibrillation
IRAS ID
150151
Contact name
James Hodgkinson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Birmingham
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 31 days
Research summary
This research aims to determine if automatic blood pressure monitors, already independently validated to take measurements in the home environment in the general population, can be reliably used in patients with Atrial Fibrillation (AF). If monitors are shown to take accurate blood pressure readings in patients with AF, the use of home blood pressure monitoring could be recommended in this high risk group to improve the effectiveness of hypertension diagnosis and management. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heart beat). The prevalence of AF in the population increases with age, so its importance is growing in the context of an ageing population. Long-term AF leads to a small increase in the risk of death, largely through stroke. AF increases the risk of stroke by up to seven times that of the population without AF, depending on the presence of additional risk factors such as high blood pressure (BP). Hypertension is also the most important risk factor for AF itself, hence measuring BP accurately is therefore very important. However, this can be difficult because AF causes BP to fluctuate.
Home BP monitoring allows many more BP readings to be taken compared to the small number possible when taken by a GP or nurse, away from the clinical environment, and therefore might help provide a more accurate picture of the true underlying BP levels in AF patients. However, no automatic BP monitors are currently validated for use in AF. The proposed research will assess the potential of home BP monitoring in AF through validation studies of different home BP monitors in patients with AF to assess their accuracy in this population, including additional analysis of the minimum number of measurements required before we can be confident in the accuracy of the obtained BP values for AF patients. Anticipated outcomes include better BP measurement in AF (reducing health inequalities), and disease prevention, resulting in improved patient quality of life.
REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/WM/0081
Date of REC Opinion
17 Mar 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion