Although its reliability is often questioned, noninvasive blood pressure (NIBP) monitoring with an oscillometric arm cuff is widely used. Indeed, intermittent arm NIBP is the first-line monitoring technique during prehospital care, in the emergency department, at intensive care unit (ICU) admission or even during the whole ICU stay, according to an article to appear in the journal CHEST. Given the arterial catheter-related burden, fully managing critically ill patients without any arterial catheter may also be an option. “Indeed, the benefit patients may experience from an arterial catheter is questioned in recent studies failing to demonstrate that its use reduces mortality. However, randomised controlled trials to confirm that NIBP can safely fully replace the arterial catheter are yet to be done.”

Read More