Spectrum of Hemodynamic Responses in the First 60 Seconds after Active Standing Up: Importance of Time Course of Blood Pressure Changes and Definitions

The study by Doyle et al1 corroborates earlier findings in The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) cohort2 that a delayed recovery of blood pressure (BP) in the first 60 seconds after active standing up is associated with injurious falls in community-dwelling older people. Given the serious outcome associated with injurious falls (especially hip fractures), identification of delayed recovery of BP after standing up as a potentially modifiable risk factor is important and highly relevant. In the assessment of falls and syncope in older people, continuous noninvasive monitoring of finger arterial pressures in the first 60 seconds after active standing up has emerged as an important clinical tool.