The word ambulatory brings to mind doctors' offices, paramedic crews, or emergency rooms. ABPM test Ambulatory blood pressure monitors) are used in conjunction with the guidance of your physician to monitor your blood pressure throughout your daily routine. High blood pressure or hypertension is regularly referred to as the "silent killer". Many of the causes of high blood pressure, including instances of higher than normal blood pressure throughout a given day, are often difficult for a physician to pinpoint and track. This is where an ambulatory blood pressure monitor earns its living as such a valuable tool. Rather than rely on taking measurements only at certain times of the day when BP fluctuates between lower and higher ranges depending on your present level of activity, these devices track changes in your levels throughout the day to get a clear picture of what is occurring in your circulatory system.

ABPM test (Ambulatory blood pressure monitors) are carried on a user's person and taken with them throughout the day. These devices consist of a very small electronic box hooked somewhere along the user's belt line, a monitoring cuff around the opposite side upper arm, and thin cables connecting the box to the upper arm cuff. The unit is designed so that all the pieces are concealable for ease of use. The device acquires a BP reading approximately every fifteen to thirty minutes throughout a given day of activity.

The whole process of recording daily BP measurements with an ambulatory device allows your doctor to determine at which points of the day and during what types of activity your blood pressure may spike into greater than normal ranges. For that matter, your doctor can also determine what factors are present when your BP is closer to being within desirable ranges and what may be going on when it gets into the danger area. You may be surprised at what you find, and you'll also have a great opportunity to realize what you are already doing correctly.

There are several instances in which your doctor may feel it necessary to employ an ambulatory blood pressure monitor. For example, if you have border-line hypertension, are pregnant and suffering from high BP, or if you experience frequent fainting episodes, your doctor may require an ambulatory device to aid in determining factors that are causing such conditions. Believe it or not, some individuals experience a sustained rise in BP simply by being present in a doctor's office, often referred to as "whitecoat hypertension". This would be another case in which an ambulatory device may be necessary to determine if you suffer from genuine hypertension.

Typically an individual will wear the device for a twenty-four hour period, in which time the device will constantly monitor and record data. With a simple trip to the doctor's office, you and your doctor will load the recorded data into a computer so you can both see what is occurring within your circulatory system at given points throughout the day. After an entire day of wearing the arm cuff, you may have some irritation on your upper arm or in rare cases a slight rash, but this is a small price to pay for the concrete information an ambulatory blood pressure monitor device provides.