Agreement between arterial blood pressures measured non-invasively and invasively in anaesthetised sheep (2025)

Sainmaa, S. K., Adam, M. A. H., Casoni, D. C. et al.

Abstract

Both invasive and non-invasive blood pressure measuring methods are used in clinical and experimental work in veterinary medicine and several studies validating these methods are published. The aim of this study was to assess the level of agreement between non-invasive and invasive arterial blood pressure measurements within a wide range of blood pressures in sheep. Six adult Texel-cross female sheep were included. Anaesthesia was induced with IV propofol (4–8 mg/kg) and maintained with sevoflurane in 50% oxygen and air. Blood pressure measurements were simultaneously obtained using both invasive methods (electronic pressure transducer (EPT) connected to the auricular and carotid arteries, and aneroid manometer connected to the auricular artery) and non-invasive methods (the oscillometric device (OD) and Doppler). Carotid artery EPT was considered the ‘gold standard’ to which other methods were compared. The agreement between the two methods was evaluated with the Bland-Altman method, in conditions of normotension, hypertension (MAP > 160 mmHg, induced with phenylephrine), and hypotension (MAP < 50 mmHg, induced with acepromazine). The devices were evaluated using the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine guidelines.