Your Ambulatory (ABPM) Appointment Explained

Before your appointment

  • Please could you have nothing to eat or drink except water, black tea or black coffee (no milk added) for 8 hours prior to your appointment time. You may take your medication with water as normal. If you are diabetic and on insulin please do not take your insulin but bring it to the hospital along with a snack.
  • Please bring to your appointment a list of the medications you are currently taking.
  • If you work during the day, do not take the whole day off. It is preferable for you to wear the monitor to work provided your job does not involve strenuous exercise or driving.
  • Please wear a top with short, loose fitting sleeves.
  • Please bring a belt with you so the monitor can be worn around your waist.

What to expect during your clinic visit

1st visit allow 1 hour.

  • Blood test - This will give the doctor more information to help us plan the best treatment for you. In particular it will show if you have a raised cholesterol level or if you have another medical problem such as diabetes or kidney problems.
  • Urine test - This again can show the doctor how well your body is working. It will show if you have a problem with your kidneys or if you may have diabetes.
  • ECG - This test measures the electrical activity of your heart. It is a useful way to show if having high blood pressure has had any effect on your heart. Again, this will help the doctor to decide which the best treatment for your blood pressure is. You will be asked to rest on a couch whilst ten sticky pads are attached to your arms, legs and chest. Your heartbeat is recorded and the information is printed out on a piece of paper. This test takes only a few minutes.
  • Lifestyle advice - The nurse will spend some time with you discussing your normal lifestyle (diet, exercise, alcohol intake) and will help you to identify where you may be able to make changes to help improve your blood pressure and overall health.
  • Fitting of Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitor
    • A blood pressure cuff will be fitted around your upper arm.
    • This is then connected to a small blood pressure monitor worn with a belt around your waist.
    • Your blood pressure will be measured every half an hour throughout the day and every hour overnight (11pm - 7am).
    • The cuff will tighten around your upper arm every time a blood pressure reading is taken.
    • During the night this may disturb your sleep to some extent.
    • During the day the machine will beep to warn you that a reading is about to be taken. Overnight the beep will not sound.
    • The monitor must not get wet, so you cannot have a bath or a shower whilst wearing the monitor.
    • It is useful if you could keep a diary and record the time you go to bed, the time you get up, the time you take your medication and any unusual symptoms or events that occur during the 24 hours.

2nd Visit 

You will be shown how to remove the monitor yourself at home.

The monitor must be returned to clinic the following morning. The nurse will tell you where to return the monitor to and at what time.