Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Magical Mila Foundation are leading the way in implementing a standard of care practice for obtaining accurate blood pressure (BP) readings in children under 3 years of age who are at increased risk of developing hypertension. Our goal is to ensure that accurate BP readings are obtained routinely in children under 3 years of age, based on the American Academy of Pediatrics 2017 guidelines for these children.   

Routine, accurate BP checks are vital at well visits for children under 3 who are at increased risk of hypertension. Accurate blood pressure measurement is essential to diagnosing hypertension, and for the appropriate evaluation and early initiation of appropriate care. Early diagnosis may reduce the likelihood of target organ damage to the brain, heart and kidneys. 

There are many barriers to obtaining accurate BP in children under 3 years old. Because of this, BP is frequently not obtained, and hypertension goes unrecognized or undiagnosed. Among these barriers are:

• Limitations of device technology
• Poor identification of patients at high risk
• Clinical difficulties of measuring BP in infants
• Lack of appropriate education within the clinical team

In partnership with the Magical Mila Foundation, BP Under 3 is establishing a standard of care practice for children who are at increased risk of developing hypertension. CHOP is dedicated to spreading this care practice to pediatric healthcare institutions locally, nationally and internationally.