Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How dog body position affects blood pressure readings
By Rondeau, Danielle A et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2013·Department of Clinical Studies-Philadelphia, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effect of body position on indirect measurement of systolic arterial blood pressure in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that blood pressure readings in dogs can vary significantly depending on whether they are sitting or lying on their side. In this research involving 51 dogs, the blood pressure was measured while the dogs were in both positions. The results showed that blood pressure was generally higher when the dogs were sitting compared to when they were lying down. Additionally, the measurements taken while the dogs were lying down were more consistent. This information can help veterinarians get more accurate blood pressure readings by considering the dog's position during the exam.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a difference existed in Doppler ultrasonographic measurements of systolic arterial blood pressure (SAP) in sitting versus laterally recumbent dogs and to determine the degree of variability in measurements made in each position. DESIGN: Diagnostic test evaluation. ANIMALS: 51 healthy or sick adult dogs, without recent sedation or anesthesia and with an SAP ≤ 300 mm Hg. PROCEDURES: In a crossover design, SAP was measured via Doppler ultrasonography when dogs were sitting (on hind limbs with nonmeasured forelimb bearing weight) and laterally recumbent, with the cuff position at the level of the right atrium for both positions. Seven measurements were obtained per position for each dog. RESULTS: Mean ± SD SAP was significantly higher in the sitting (172.1 ± 33.3 mm Hg) versus recumbent (147.0 ± 24.6 mm Hg) position, and this difference was evident for 44 of 51 (86%) dogs. The mean difference in measured SAP between the 2 positions was 25.1 ± 28.5 mm Hg. Blood pressure measurements had a significantly higher repeatability in the recumbent position than in the sitting position. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Blood pressure measurements in dogs were significantly affected by body position, and they were higher for most dogs when sitting rather than laterally recumbent. Blood pressure measurements in the laterally recumbent body position were less variable than in the sitting position.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23683016/