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Why it matters

Wrong size. Wrong reading.

A child’s blood pressure reading depends on a cuff that fits the arm.

01 The fit rule

The guideline: size the cuff to the arm.

A cuff that is too small tends to read high. A cuff that is too large tends to read low.4

The inflatable part of the cuff should be about 40 percent as wide as the arm and wrap 80 to 100 percent of the way around it.3

Children should have their blood pressure checked every year from age 3, and at every visit for children with obesity.3

02 The sizes

Five standard sizes. One CareCuff.

Child, small adult, adult, large adult and thigh are the cuff sizes commonly used for children age 3 and up.45 Move the arm size to see where it lands.

26.5 cm sits between small adult and adult.
  6. CareCuffOne cuff
Standard ranges, cm around the upper arm. The CareCuff bar shows the design goal of one cuff for children’s arm sizes, not a final specification.

03 Children with larger arms

Children with obesity are checked more often, and are harder to fit.

The guideline asks for a blood pressure check at every visit for children with obesity.3 A child with a larger arm often lands between the child and adult sizes.

  • 14.7 million

    American children with obesity, ages 2 to 19.1

  • 7 percent

    of American children ages 2 to 19 have severe obesity.2

04 What a reading sets in motion

One reading can start a lot.

A high reading can lead to repeat checks, follow up visits and more tests, along with worry for the family. A cuff that fits is a simple place to start getting it right.

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References
  1. CDC, Childhood Obesity Facts. 19.7 percent of US youth ages 2 to 19, about 14.7 million, 2017 to March 2020. cdc.gov
  2. CDC, NCHS QuickStats, 2024 (NHANES). Severe obesity 7.0 percent, ages 2 to 19, August 2021 to August 2023. cdc.gov
  3. Flynn JT et al. AAP clinical practice guideline for screening and management of high blood pressure in children and adolescents. Pediatrics 2017;140(3):e20171904. doi.org
  4. Pickering TG et al. AHA scientific statement, recommendations for blood pressure measurement in humans. Hypertension 2005;45:142. doi.org
  5. Child cuff arm range, 15 to 21 cm, from a common reusable pediatric cuff line’s size chart.