Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Comparing blood pressure readings at two arteries in conscious cats
By Zeugswetter, Florian K et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2018·1 Clinical Department for Small Animals and Horses·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Radial vs coccygeal artery Doppler blood pressure measurement in conscious cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study involving 80 cats looked at how blood pressure readings differ when taken from the tail (coccygeal artery) versus the front leg (radial artery). The results showed that blood pressure measurements from the tail were often higher, which could lead to misdiagnosis of conditions like hypertension. Factors like body condition score (how overweight the cat is) affected the readings, but age and stress did not seem to play a significant role. This means that where your vet takes the blood pressure can really change the results, so it's important to discuss which method is being used and what it might mean for your cat's health.
People also search for: cat blood pressure measurement · why is my cat's blood pressure high · cat hypertension treatment · differences in cat blood pressure readings
Abstract
Objectives The aims of the study were to compare the results of systolic blood pressure (SBP) measurements at the radial and coccygeal artery by Doppler ultrasonography and to assess the impact of gender, age, body weight, body condition score (BCS) and stress score on disagreements. Methods Eighty cats were included in this prospective, block randomised crossover trial. Blood pressure measurements were performed at home, during hospitalisation or in a local animal shelter by a single trained observer according to the latest ISFM consensus guidelines. Statistical analysis included Spearman's correlation and ANOVA. Results Measurement or site order had no effect on blood pressure measurements ( P = 0.157, P = 0.965). Correlation of radial and coccygeal SBP was moderate (r= 0.519, P <0.001) and measurements at the tail were by mean 18.7 ± 37 mmHg higher. The differences between the measuring sites were neither correlated with age (r= 0.044, P = 0.710) nor with body weight (r= 0.122, P = 0.337). A significant effect of BCS ( P = 0.016), but not gender ( P = 0.246) or stress score ( P = 0.424) was identified. Of the 25 cats with a coccygeal SBP ⩾170 mmHg, 14 (56%) were categorised as mildly hypertensive or normotensive when measurements were performed at the forelimb. Conclusions and relevance Choice of the measuring site, coccygeal vs radial artery, has a significant impact on Doppler ultrasonographic SBP results. In many cats, these discrepancies are huge and would certainly affect treatment decisions. Possible explanations include cone-shaped tails, especially in obese cats, leading to distal gapping or slippage of cylindrical cuffs and peripheral pulse pressure amplification. Further studies are urgently needed to clarify whether the discordances are artefacts or have a pathological background.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29132245/