Monitoring of Blood Pressure using Invasive or Non-invasive Method in Critically Ill Patients: A Review

Blood pressure is a core vital sign used as a basis for diagnosis and management of patients in critical care setting. Blood pressure (BP) can be monitored by both invasive and non-invasive methods. Invasive blood measurement using arterial access is considered the “gold” standard in critically ill patients. However, invasive methods put patient at risk of bleeding and infection as compared to non-invasive methods. Non-invasive blood pressure monitoring can be obtained through oscillometric or manual auscultatory sphygmomanometer. The objective of this review is to provide a global perspective of health care providers towards use of invasive or non-invasive method of measuring blood pressure. Both theoretical and existing clinical studies have suggested that non-invasive measurements may differ from invasive intra-arterial estimates of blood pressure.