Arterial Monitoring System Leveling Method, Transducer Location, and Accuracy of Blood Pressure Measurements.

Background: Many critically ill patients have invasive arterial catheters inserted for blood pressure monitoring. Whether catheter leveling method and alternative transducer location affect the accuracy of blood pressure measurements is unknown.

Objective: To determine whether the use of alternative transducer locations and visual alignment versus laser device leveling significantly affect the accuracy of blood pressure measurements.