Evaluation of an Oscillometric Blood Pressure Monitor on Anesthetized Cats and the Effect of Cuff Placement and Fur on Accuracy

Objectives — (1) To determine the usefulness of one specific oscillometric monitor for making indirect measurements of arterial pressure in cats. (2) To determine the difference between two specific cuff placement sites. (3) To determine if clipping the hair beneath the cuff has an affect on the accuracy of oscillometric blood pressure determination.
Study Design — Prospective study comparing the accuracy of the Datascope Passport (Data-scope Corp, Paramus, NJ) with concurrent invasive measurements.
Animals — Six anesthetized domestic felines weighing 4.5 to 5 kg.
Methods — The direct arterial pressure was measured using a cannula placed in the right common carotid artery. Oscillometric cuffs of appropriate size were placed on both thoracic limbs distal to the elbow and both pelvic limbs distal to the stifle. The hair in the areas of cuff placement on the right limbs was clipped circumferentially. Measurements of systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were taken for each site during normotension, hypotension, and hypertension. Comparisons between indirect and direct measurements were made using a parametric analysis of method comparison.
Results — No significant differences were noted when die clipped limbs were compared with the corresponding limbs which were left undipped ( P >.378) or when the thoracic limb measurements were compared widi those of the pelvic limb ( P >.088). There were significant differences ( P <.002) between the two pressure measurement methods for the systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressures over all three pressure ranges.
Conclusions — The Datascope Passport did not accurately estimate the invasively measured arterial pressure.
Clinical Relevance — Use of noninvasive blood pressure monitoring equipment is increasing in use in veterinary medicine, and the accuracy of one specific monitor is reported.