Test / Diagnostic Procedure: Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM)

Measuring your blood pressure is a simple way of checking if your blood pressure is either too high, or too low. The ABMP test is carried out over a 24-hour period, and enables you to move around and continue with your normal daily life.

Overview

What is ambulatory blood pressure monitoring?

Measuring your blood pressure is a simple way of checking if your blood pressure is either too high, or too low. If your blood pressure is too high, this can lead to heart failure and strokes. As such, this easy test may save your life.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is more accurate than isolated single BP measurements. The ABMP test is carried out over a 24-hour period, and enables you to move around and continue with your normal daily life.

During the test, a small digital monitor will be attached to your upper arm by a secure disposable cuff to keep it in place.


Why might I need my blood pressure monitoring?

Measuring your blood pressure at regular intervals over a 24-hour period will allow your consultant to get a clear picture of how your blood pressure changes throughout the day.

Your consultant may suggest 24-hour monitoring to you because they want to see if:

  • Your readings are higher at OneWelbeck Heart Health or higher outside of the centre
  • Any medicines you may be taking are working effectively
  • Your blood pressure stays high overnight

What do I need to do when having my blood pressure monitored?

After your monitor has been fitted, it will take your blood pressure at regular intervals, approximately every 30 minutes during the daytime and 60 minutes during the night. You will need to keep the monitor on at night to get an accurate 24-hour reading.

When the monitor is just about to take a reading, the machine will beep. For the machine to work properly, it’s important that you:

  • Sit down if it is possible to do so
  • Keep the cuff at the same level as your heart
  • Keep your arm steady

Once your 24-hour period is over, you can return your machine to OneWelbeck Heart Health. Your results will have already been automatically stored.


OneWelbeck app

OneWelbeck patients will be offered the use of the MyRecovery smartphone app. This doctor-designed app acts as a mobile patient companion to guide you through the steps to prepare for the ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and prevent and delays to your care.

The app will use two methods to provide you with a seamless ambulatory blood pressure monitoring experience by offering you the right information at the right time through:

  • Video messages from your consultant and clinical team
  • Pre-procedure checklists that are visible to you and your clinical team

Test / diagnostic pricing

Please contact the centre to discuss pricing.


Overview

Average time of test

24-hour period

Any prep needed?

No

Post-test recovery

None

OneWelbeck app

Test / diagnostic pricing

Please contact the centre

Heart monitoring specialists

The consultants at OneWelbeck Heart Health have been assembled based on their hard-earned international reputations and expertise. Together, they cover the major London teaching hospitals and leading cardiac services, making up the largest independent cardiology group in the UK.

Dr Amanda Varnava

Consultant Cardiologist

Specialist expertise: Cardiology, CT Coronary Angiography and Calcium Scoring, Management of heart failure and advanced non-invasive cardiac imaging, Cardiac Imaging, Cardiac CT Angiography.

Dr Balvinder Wasan

Consultant Cardiologist

Specialist expertise: Cardiovascular Disease, Heart Rhythm Disturbances including Atrial Fibrillation, Pacing and Syncope, CT Coronary Angiography and Calcium Scoring, Cardiology.

Dr Boon Lim

Consultant Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist

Specialist expertise: Heart Rhythm Disturbances including Atrial Fibrillation, Pacing and Syncope, Cardiology, Management of heart failure and advanced non-invasive cardiac imaging, Interventional Cardiology.

Professor Charlotte Manisty

Consultant Cardiologist

Specialist expertise: Cardiology, Radiology, Management of heart failure and advanced non-invasive cardiac imaging, Heart Rhythm Disorders.

Dr Deven Patel

Consultant Cardiologist

Specialist expertise: Complex Coronary Intervention, Breathlessness, CT Coronary Angiography and Calcium Scoring, Cardiac CT Angiography, Cardiology, Minimally Invasive Interventional Procedures for Heart Valves.

Dr Elliot Smith

Consultant Cardiologist

Specialist expertise: Interventional Cardiology, Cardiology, Cardiac Imaging, CT Coronary Angiography and Calcium Scoring, Complex Coronary Intervention, Coronary Artery Disease.

Dr Iqbal Malik

Medical Director & Consultant Cardiologist

Specialist expertise: Coronary Artery Disease, Structural Heart Disease including PFO, ASD and the TAVI procedure, Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology, Breathlessness.

Professor Jamil Mayet

Consultant Cardiologist

Specialist expertise: Hypertension, Breathlessness, Cardiovascular CT Scans, Cardiac CT, Cardiac Imaging, Cardiology.

Dr Mark Earley

Consultant Cardiologist

Specialist expertise: Electrophysiology, Heart Rhythm Disorders, Cardiology, Heart Rhythm Disturbances including Atrial Fibrillation, Pacing and Syncope, Interventional Cardiology.

Dr Mark Westwood

Consultant Cardiologist

Specialist expertise: Cardiac Imaging, Hypertension, Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology.

Dr Mick Ozkor

Consultant Cardiologist

Specialist expertise: Minimally Invasive Interventional Procedures for Heart Valves, TAVI and Complex Coronary Treatments, Cardiology, Heart Rhythm Disturbances including Atrial Fibrillation, Pacing and Syncope, Heart Rhythm Disorders.

Professor Nicholas Peters

Consultant Cardiologist

Specialist expertise: Heart Rhythm Disturbances including Atrial Fibrillation, Pacing and Syncope, Heart Rhythm Disorders, Cardiology.

Dr Ramzi Khamis

Consultant Cardiologist

Specialist expertise: Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology, Coronary Artery Disease, Exercise Intolerance, Cardiac CT, Complex Coronary Intervention.

Dr Neil Chapman

Consultant Cardiologist

Specialist expertise: Cardiology, Cardiovascular Disease, Hypertension.

Professor Ross Hunter

Consultant Cardiologist

Specialist expertise: Cardiology, Heart Rhythm Disturbances including Atrial Fibrillation, Pacing and Syncope, Heart Rhythm Disorders, Management of heart failure and advanced non-invasive cardiac imaging, Catheter-based treatment of Congenital Heart Disease (including ASD and PFO closures).

Dr Simon Sporton

Consultant Cardiologist

Specialist expertise: Heart Rhythm Disturbances including Atrial Fibrillation, Pacing and Syncope, Heart Rhythm Disorders, Cardiology.

Dr Sunthar Kanaganayagam

Consultant Cardiologist

Specialist expertise: Cardiology, Hypertension, Breathlessness, Cardiac CT.

Dr Sundeep Kalra

Consultant Cardiologist

Specialist expertise: Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology, Hypertension, Management of heart failure and advanced non-invasive cardiac imaging, Heart Rhythm Disturbances including Atrial Fibrillation, Pacing and Syncope, Heart Rhythm Disorders.

Professor Riyaz Patel

Consultant Cardiologist

Specialist expertise: Coronary Artery Disease, Chest Pain, Breathlessness, Palpitations, Preventative Cardiology, Cardiovascular Genetics, Familial Hypercholesterolaemia, Cholesterol Disorders, Blood Pressure, Cardiac CT Angiography, Stress Echocardiography.

Professor Robin Choudhury

Consultant Cardiologist

Specialist expertise: Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology, Coronary Artery Disease, Cholesterol Disorders.

Dr Francesco Lo Monaco

Consultant Clinical Cardiologist

Specialist expertise: Cardiac Imaging, Cardiology, Cardiac CT, Hypertension, Management of heart failure and advanced non-invasive cardiac imaging.

Dr Aaisha Opel

Consultant Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist

Specialist expertise: Cardiac Electrophysiology, Cardiology, Electrophysiology, Heart Rhythm Disturbances including Atrial Fibrillation, Pacing and Syncope, Breathlessness, Long COVID.

Dr Amit Bhan

Consultant Cardiologist

Specialist expertise: Catheter-based treatment of Congenital Heart Disease (including ASD and PFO closures), Cardiology, Interventional Cardiology, Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test (CPET), Heart Rhythm Disturbances including Atrial Fibrillation, Pacing and Syncope, Breathlessness, Heart Health, Heart Rhythm Disorders, Minimally Invasive Interventional Procedures for Heart Valves, Structural Heart Disease including PFO, ASD and the TAVI procedure.