Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring For Hypertension in Pediatric Hemodialysis Patients

Abstract

Ambulatory blood pressure measurement (ABPM) is being used increasingly in clinical practice. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is a non-invasive method of obtaining blood pressure readings over a 24-hour period. The blood pressure measurement 24-hour while the patient is at home or at work (in his /her “normal” environment) seems to be a very reliable method of detecting hypertension. Since peri-dialysis blood pressure measurement in ESRD patients can sometimes result in misclassification, it might be wise to routinely apply ABPM in these patients, too. The study aimed atevaluating ambulatory blood pressure monitoring among pediatric patients on regular hemodialysis. The present study was carried out at the Pediatric Hemodialysis Unit, Children`s Hospital, Ain Shams University during the period extending from October 2014 till March 2015. It included some of the patients attending to the unit (35 patients) aging from 5 to 18 years old and undergoing regular hemodialysis more than 3 months without any anatomical or vascular disfigurement hindering usage of the device. All patients were subjected to history taking and physical examination and reassessing the dry weight. The blood pressure was measured by regular dialysis machine and ABPM covering the interdialytic period between two sessions.