The conventional (Velcro self-adhesive) cuff overestimates blood pressure in infants. Description of a suitable alternative.

Systolic blood pressures were measured by auscultation or with the Parks Doppler system using blood pressure cuffs of various sizes (widths of the inflatable rubber bladders 4, 6 and 7.5 cm). We compared the results obtained by the conventional cuffs with the Pedisphyg cuff-bladder assembly (in which both cuff and bladder coexist) and with a new "separate bladder" method. Here, the inflatable bladder is wrapped around the arm and is held by a separate Velcro band. Readings comparing these methods agreed well when using the 7.5 cm wide bladder, but conventional cuffs with bladders 6 cm and 4 cm wide seriously overestimated blood pressure by an average of 9.0 and 13.3 mm Hg, respectively. The conventional 4 cm cuff should be abandoned, and the "separate bladder" method used instead.