Validation of the A&D UA-1020 upper-arm blood pressure monitor with six different-shaped or different-sized cuffs according to the British Hypertension Society protocol

ObjectiveThe present study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of the automated oscillometric upper-arm blood pressure monitor A&D UA-1020 with six different-shaped or different-sized cuffs according to the British Hypertension Society protocol. MethodsWe recruited 136 individuals for four D-ring cuffs (adult, large, small, and medium) and 114 individuals for two cylindrical cuffs (adult and medium). For each participant, we sequentially measured systolic and diastolic blood pressure using a mercury sphygmomanometer (two observers) and UA-1020 (one supervisor) to obtain three pairs of comparisons. ResultsFor the four D-ring cuffs, the device achieved grade A. The percentage of blood pressure differences within 5, 10, and 15 mmHg was 64, 88, and 96%, respectively, for systolic blood pressure, and 69, 92, and 99%, respectively, for diastolic blood pressure. The average (±SD) of the device–observers differences was −1.2±7.2 mmHg (P=0.0006) and 1.0±6.0 mmHg (P<0.0001) for systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respectively. For the two cylindrical cuffs, the device also achieved grade A. The percentage of blood pressure differences within 5, 10, and 15 mmHg was 65, 87, and 96%, respectively, for systolic blood pressure, and 64, 91, and 98%, respectively, for diastolic blood pressure. The average of the device–observers differences was −0.4±7.3 mmHg (P=0.29) and 2.0±6.1 mmHg (P<0.0001) for systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respectively. ConclusionThe UA-1020 device has passed the requirements of the British Hypertension Society protocol with various sizes of D-ring and cylindrical cuffs, and can be recommended in adults.