The effect of heart rate on blood pressure measurement in patients with atrial fibrillation: a cross-sectional study

Blood pressure in atrial fibrillation and in sinus rhythm during ambulatory blood pressure monitoring: data from the TEMPLAR project

The coexistence of hypertension and atrial fibrillation (AF) is common and accounts for a worse prognosis. Uncertainties exist regarding blood pressure (BP) measurements in AF patients by automated oscillometric devices. The Microlife WatchBP 03 AFIB ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) device including an AF algorithm with each measurement was used in 430 subjects aged >65 years referred for ABPM and with assumed paroxysmal AF to perform intra-individual comparisons of BP during both AF-indicated and sinus rhythm. Only subjects with >30% of measurements indicating AF and episodes >30 min for assumed AF and for sinus rhythm were included. Mean age was 78 ± 7 years, 43% were male, 77% hypertensive, and 72% were treated. Compared to sinus rhythm, 24-h mean arterial pressure was similar (87.2 ± 9.5 vs 87.5 ± 10.6 mm Hg, p = 0.47), whereas 24-h systolic BP tended to be lower (123.6 ± 13.9 vs 124.7 ± 16.1 mm Hg, p = 0.05) and night-time diastolic BP higher (64.6 ± 10.9 vs 63.3 ± 10.4 mm Hg, p = 0.01) in assumed AF. Diastolic (not systolic) BP variability was higher in AF (p < 0.001). Results were similar with heart rates <90 and ≥90 bpm. In conclusion, this is the first study to use intra-individual comparisons of averaged BP during an ABPM in assumed paroxysmal AF and sinus rhythm. Our results imply that ABPM is feasible and informative also in patients with AF. We also suggest that an AF detection algorithm offers a new approach to evaluate the reliability of averaged BP values in AF compared to SR during an ABPM.

Impact of atrial fibrillation on the accuracy of oscillometric blood pressure monitoring in ICU patients from a large real-world database

OBJECTIVES

Oscillometric blood pressure (BP) measurement in atrial fibrillation patients is controversial due to stroke volume variation. Here, we performed a cross-sectional study to investigate the impact of atrial fibrillation on the accuracy of oscillometric BP in the ICU setting.

METHODS

Adult patients with atrial fibrillation or sinus rhythm records were enrolled from Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-III database. Concurrently recorded noninvasive oscillometric BPs (NIBPs) and intra-arterial BPs (IBPs) were classified as atrial fibrillation or sinus rhythm group according to heart rhythm. Bland-Altmann plots assessed bias and limits of agreement of NIBP to IBP. Pairwise comparison was performed on NIBP/IBP bias between atrial fibrillation and sinus rhythm. Linear mixed-effect model was used to assess the impact of heart rhythm on NIBP/IBP bias after adjusting confounders.

RESULTS

Two thousand, three hundred and thirty-five patients (71.95 ± 11.23 years old, 60.90% were men) were included. Systolic, diastolic, and mean NIBP/IBP biases were not clinically different between atrial fibrillation and sinus rhythm circumstances (SBP bias: 0.66 vs. 1.21 mmHg, P  = 0.002; DBP: -5.29 vs. -5.17, P  = 0.1; mean BP: -4.45 vs. -4.19, P  = 0.01). After adjusting for age, sex, heart rate, arterial BP, and vasopressor usage, the effect of heart rhythm on NIBP/IBP bias was within ±5 mmHg for SBP and DBP [effect on SBP bias: 3.32 mmHg (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.89-3.74), P  < 0.001; DBP: -0.89 (-1.17 to -0.60), P  < 0.001], while the effect on mean BP bias was not significant [0.18 mmHg (-0.10 to 0.46), P  = 0.2].

CONCLUSION

Atrial fibrillation would not influence the agreement of oscillometric BP to IBP in ICU patients compared with sinus rhythm.