Selçuk Sinan Çelik¹ Gülhan Atakul² Hasan Ağin³

¹Dr. Behçet Uz Pediatric Diseases and Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Department of Pediatric Intensive Care, İzmir, Türkiye
²Dr. Behçet Uz Pediatric Diseases and Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Department of Pediatric Intensive Care, İzmir, Türkiye
³Dr. Behçet Uz Pediatric Diseases and Surgery Training and Research Hospital, Department of Pediatric Intensive Care, İzmir, Türkiye

Çelik SS, Atakul G, Ağın H. Noninvasive Blood Pressure Monitoring in Critically Ill Child. In: Bal A, editor. Noninvasive Monitoring of Critically Ill Child. 1^st ed. Ankara: Türkiye Klinikleri; 2025. p.101-105.

ABSTRACT

The main aim of monitoring of the critically ill paediatric patient is to recognise the problems, deter- mine the severity of the problems and guide the treatment by continuously monitoring the determined variables. Monitoring provides understanding of pathophysiology. Thus, it guides early diagnosis and treatment, reducing the risk of undesirable outcomes. It has been declared by many researchers that mortality and morbidity decrease and quality of patient care increases with monitoring.

Patient monitoring in intensive care can be done through inspection and manual recording of variables, or by using technological devices and systems. Monitoring can be roughly classified as invasive or noninvasive in terms of method. In the noninvasive method, monitoring such as ECG, pulsoximetry, capnography, blood pressure can be performed without requiring an intervention on the patient. Inva- sive methods, on the other hand, are performed by placing the equipment required for measurement in the body by performing an intervention on the patient – for example, arterial blood pressure measure- ment, pulmonary artery catheterisation, central venous pressure measurement.

Blood pressure monitoring is a parameter taken into account in determining the haemodynamic stabil- ity of the critically ill paediatric patient. Haemodynamic stability maintains homeostasis by ensuring that organ-tissue perfusion (cerebral, renal, coronary, mesentery) continues normally. Low or high blood pressure values are directly related to increased mortality/morbidity risk of the critically ill patient. Blood pressure monitoring of the patient in intensive care is performed by invasive or nonin- vasive methods. Invasive blood pressure measurement is performed by arterial line access. Although it is the gold standard method for blood pressure monitoring in critically ill patients, it is difficult to perform and has some risks. Blood pressure measurement with noninvasive methods can be used more frequently in the intensive care unit due to its ease. In order to obtain safe data in measurements made with noninvasive methods, calibration of the devices used and proper measurement of the technique used are required.

Physiological normal values in children vary for each age. In addition, the response of their bodies to critical situations varies according to age. This makes it difficult to interpret the results obtained from a critically ill child. Data obtained by calculating or measuring with monitoring can be useful when used in conjunction with clinical evaluation by specialists. The clinician who follows the patient should be able to interpret the data and ignore the unnecessary, and should have the knowledge and experience to reach the appropriate conclusion in terms of diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords: Critical ill pediatric patient; Blood pressure; Monitoring: Intensive care unit