Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring in the Management of Hypertension

Ambulatory blood pressure measurement (ABPM) is being used increasingly in clinical practice. In recognition of this the British Hypertension Society has published recommendations for the use and interpretation of ABPM in clinical practice, and the European Society of Hypertension has published recommendations on blood pressure measuring devices, including devices for ABPM. Importantly, the technique has finally been approved for reimbursement in the USA. So with worldwide acceptance of the technique, it is timely to reappraise the reasons why ABPM has at last become an indispensable technique for the management of hypertension, and to summarise current recommendations for its use in clinical practice.