CaRi-heart technology
Revolutionary new technology to assess the risk of a serious heart condition or heart attack – many years before anything happens.
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
- No.1 for private cardiovascular care in the UK
- Appointments in as little as 24 hours
- 99% of our cardiac patients would recommend us to their friends or family
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AMBULATORY BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORING AT HCA UK
Why choose us?
At HCA UK, we’re experts at diagnosing and treating high and low blood pressure, and see more cardiovascular cases than any other private healthcare provider. If you have any concerns about your heart health or blood pressure, we’ll get you to one of our leading specialists as quickly as possible.
We use ambulatory blood pressure monitoring as it’s a safe and effective way of recording your blood pressure during a 24-hour period while you’re at home. The test gives our leading cardiologists the information they need to provide you with an accurate diagnosis and start you on any necessary treatment. If you need further tests and scans, they’ll get those arranged for you too.
We use ambulatory blood pressure monitoring as it’s a safe and effective way of recording your blood pressure during a 24-hour period while you’re at home. The test gives our leading cardiologists the information they need to provide you with an accurate diagnosis and start you on any necessary treatment. If you need further tests and scans, they’ll get those arranged for you too.
Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) is a non-invasive and convenient way of recording your blood pressure during a 24-hour period, without you having to stay in hospital.
It requires you to wear a cuff on your arm that is linked to a portable monitor that you wear on a belt around your waist or across your body like a side bag. These devices allow us to monitor your blood pressure while you carry on with your normal activities at home.
Your blood pressure readings will be taken approximately every 30 minutes during the day and every 60 minutes during the night over a 24-hour period. This consistent monitoring will give your consultant a detailed picture of how your blood pressure changes in a day with different influencing factors.
It requires you to wear a cuff on your arm that is linked to a portable monitor that you wear on a belt around your waist or across your body like a side bag. These devices allow us to monitor your blood pressure while you carry on with your normal activities at home.
Your blood pressure readings will be taken approximately every 30 minutes during the day and every 60 minutes during the night over a 24-hour period. This consistent monitoring will give your consultant a detailed picture of how your blood pressure changes in a day with different influencing factors.
You may be recommended a 24-hour blood pressure monitor test if you:
If you’re worried about your blood pressure, we can help. We offer same-day or next-day GP appointments, who can check your blood pressure and recommend any further tests or treatments, if needed.
- Have high blood pressure or are at risk of high blood pressure due to age, other medical conditions, pregnancy or other factors
- Need changes to your blood pressure medications or other medications that may be affecting your blood pressure
- Have symptoms of low blood pressure, such as dizziness and fainting
- Have problems providing accurate blood pressure readings in medical settings, known as white coat syndrome (when blood pressure rises due to anxiety in a doctor’s room) or masked hypertension (when blood pressure falls in a doctor’s room)
If you’re worried about your blood pressure, we can help. We offer same-day or next-day GP appointments, who can check your blood pressure and recommend any further tests or treatments, if needed.
At a clinic or a doctor’s surgery, a device called a sphygmomanometer, which consists of a stethoscope, arm cuff, pump and dial, is used to measure your blood pressure.
The cuff is attached to your arm and pumped up to restrict the blood flow in your arm. When the pressure is slowly released, the doctor uses the stethoscope to listen to your pulse. As the blood flow returns to your arm, the pressure is recorded at two different points and these measurements are combined to give your blood pressure reading.
A 24-hour blood pressure monitor is similar, although it uses sensors to detect vibrations in your arteries and has a digital display rather than a dial.
The cuff is attached to your arm and pumped up to restrict the blood flow in your arm. When the pressure is slowly released, the doctor uses the stethoscope to listen to your pulse. As the blood flow returns to your arm, the pressure is recorded at two different points and these measurements are combined to give your blood pressure reading.
A 24-hour blood pressure monitor is similar, although it uses sensors to detect vibrations in your arteries and has a digital display rather than a dial.
Blood pressure is the strength with which your blood pushes on the sides of your arteries as it moves around your body. It's measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg) and is given as two figures:
As a general guide:
- Systolic pressure – when your heart pushes blood out
- Diastolic pressure – when your heart rests between beats
As a general guide:
- Normal blood pressure is considered to be between 90/60mmHg and 120/80mmHg
- Low blood pressure is considered to be 90/60mmHg or lower
- High blood pressure is considered to be 140/90mmHg or higher
A 24-hour blood pressure monitor test can provide a more accurate, complete picture of your blood pressure than a single recording in a doctor's surgery. You may be recommended ambulatory blood pressure monitoring for a range of reasons, including:
- Age: You're more likely to have high blood pressure as you get older. This is because blood vessels become stiffer with age, causing blood pressure to rise. It's recommended that all adults over 40 have their blood pressure tested at least every five years to detect any potential problems early.
- Lifestyle factors: Your diet, fitness level, sleep and experience of stress and anxiety can all negatively affect your blood pressure. A 24-hour blood pressure machine can record how changes in your blood pressure relate to your daily activities and sleep patterns.
- Medications: This test can be used to monitor how your blood pressure responds to blood pressure medications, as well as treatment for other conditions. In both cases, the results may lead to you being recommended different treatment or your current treatment being tweaked, such as a lower dosage.
- White coat syndrome: This is a common condition where you become anxious in a clinical setting, such as a doctor's surgery, and your blood pressure is high but you get a normal blood pressure reading at home. By monitoring you for 24 hours, we can rule out whether your high blood pressure is a result of white coat syndrome. This will then allow us to accurate prescribe medication and start any treatment, if needed.
- Masked hypertension: This condition has the opposite effect of white coat syndrome, with some patients recording normal blood pressure in a doctor's surgery despite it being high when measured at home. Doctors don't usually ask people to measure their own blood pressure at home if it's normal in the GP surgery, so ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is the only way we can be sure of the phenomenon.
Next-day appointments
See a specialist and get on the path to an expert diagnosis in as little as 24 hours.
State-of-the-art diagnostics
With results in as little as 48 hours.
Wide-reaching expertise across the UK
Choose from 5 hospitals and 15 diagnostic centres in London, Manchester and Birmingham.
Locations
Choose from our network of hospitals in London, Birmingham and Manchester for your ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.
London Bridge Hospital
27 Tooley Street SE1 2PR London
The Harborne Hospital
Mindelsohn Way B15 2TQ Birmingham
The Harley Street Clinic
35 Weymouth Street W1G 8BJ London
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
What to expect
From your initial consultation to when you’re discussing your blood pressure results and treatment options with your chosen specialist, we want you to feel informed and reassured. We’re always available to answer any questions you may have, but this will give you a good idea of what to expect.
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Before your ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
Rest assured, your doctor will advise you on how best to prepare for your blood pressure monitoring, based on your condition and reason for taking the test. This may include:
- Choosing a 24-hour period (or longer if advised) that represents your normal routine – for example, a weekday with regular sleep, food and drink and levels of exercise (though it's recommended that you avoid getting the device wet, or driving, as the cuff inflating can be a distraction)
- Planning to keep a journal of your activities and any symptoms you experience over the 24 hours
- Wearing a top with wide or flexible sleeves to allow the cuff to fully inflate
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During your ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
You'll need to wear a blood pressure cuff around your non-dominant arm all day. This cuff is linked to a small monitoring device that’s roughly the size of a small mobile phone, which you’ll wear on a belt around your waist or across your body like a side bag. It's small enough that you can continue your normal activities and sleep with it on, although you shouldn't get it wet.
The cuff and waist monitor will be fitted at a clinic or a GP surgery, which only takes a few minutes before you can go about your normal day at home or elsewhere.
During the monitoring period, the cuff will inflate automatically every 30 minutes throughout the day – and hourly after 10pm – to take a blood pressure reading. You'll need to keep it on all the time during the 24-hour period you're being monitored for. It'll also take an extra reading at a randomly chosen time, so your results aren't affected by your anticipation of the reading.
Some people find it slightly uncomfortable when the cuff inflates, as it’s quite tight. However, if you keep your arm relaxed and a reading is successfully recorded, it only lasts for a few seconds. You may find it helps to rest your arm on a cushion during each reading.
When you go to bed, you can put the monitor under a pillow or on the bed. During the monitoring period, you should do everything you'd normally do, except for swimming or having a bath or shower.
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After your ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
After you've completed a 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring period, your doctor will advise on whether you need further treatment.
A blood pressure reading between 120/80mmHg and 140/90mmHg might mean you're at risk of developing high blood pressure if you don't take steps to reduce it. If you have high blood pressure, we may recommend that you make healthy changes to your lifestyle and start taking medication.
Depending on your test results and condition, we might need you to come back for further tests. We provide quick access to comprehensive diagnostics within our high-quality private network, including:
Accessing private health care
Self-pay
You don’t need health insurance to be seen quickly. If you’re looking for a diagnosis or treatment and don’t want to wait, all our private healthcare services – from private GP appointments through to surgery and aftercare – can be paid for as and when you need them.
And to give you peace of mind from the start, we’ll offer you a clear and transparent quote outlining exactly what’s included in your self-pay package.
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring FAQs
There are no risks as it’s a completely safe and painless test. Some people do experience a little discomfort when the cuff inflates. You may also find your sleep is disrupted by the device taking hourly measurements.
Yes. Not every patient with suspected high blood pressure will need a 24-hour blood pressure monitor. Another option is home blood pressure monitoring, which involves you using your own digital blood pressure monitor to regularly test your blood pressure.
This can allow you to monitor your condition more easily in the long term. One of our cardiovascular team will be happy to advise you on the best blood pressure monitors to buy.
This can allow you to monitor your condition more easily in the long term. One of our cardiovascular team will be happy to advise you on the best blood pressure monitors to buy.
Our patient stories
Judith's cardiac treatment
For years, Judith knew there was something wrong with her heart. At London Bridge Hospital, she finally had the life-changing treatment she needed.
How a health kick revealed a serious heart condition
When the UK went into lockdown in March 2020, like millions of others, 56-year-old House Manager James took the opportunity to introduce some simple daily exercise into his busy work schedule. Little did he know that the changes would reveal a hidden heart condition, that would require a triple heart bypass to fix.
How a valve replacement helped Steve breathe easy again
When Steve found out his breathlessness was caused by a narrowed aortic valve, he was terrified of the thought of the open-heart surgery that might be needed to treat it. But with the expertise of Professor Sagar Doshi at The Harborne Hospital, he learned he could have a ‘keyhole’ alternative called TAVI.
“Dr Patel was extremely knowledgeable, professional, kind and considerate. He is exemplary within his field. He made me feel at ease and reassured throughout the whole process.”
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This content is intended for general information only and does not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional.