Intraoperative targets make more sense relative to the patient's own pressures than to a single textbook value. A baseline from the preoperative clinic or ward, rather than a first reading taken on an anxious patient in the anaesthetic room, gives a reference for judging what counts as a meaningful fall.
- Use the average of recent ward or clinic readings where available.
- Note the baseline in the anaesthetic chart.
- Treat a first reading in a nervous patient with caution.
- Think about chronic hypertension and its usual pressures.
Why it matters
A fall is only meaningful against a known starting point.
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