Ambulatory Blood-Pressure Monitoring

Blood pressure is inherently variable, and ambulatory measurements of blood pressure predict clinical outcomes better than do conventional, clinic-based measurements. Ambulatory monitoring can help identify "white-coat" hypertension, as well as patients whose blood pressure does not decrease the normal amount during the night. Ambulatory blood-pressure monitoring is practical, can lead to a reduction in health care costs, and can provide improved estimates of true blood pressures to guide decisions about treatment.