Pediatric Blood Pressure Centiles (AAP 2017 & PALS)
1. Patient Parameters
1 to 17 Years
years
Optional
cm
Height Centile:
Assumed 50th % (Default)
mmHg
mmHg
2. Blood Pressure Classification
50th Height Centile
✓ Enter Age and Blood Pressure
Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP)
— mmHg
DBP + 1/3 (SBP - DBP)
Pulse Pressure
— mmHg
SBP - DBP
| Percentile Level | Systolic BP | Diastolic BP | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5th % (PALS Hypotension) | — | — | PALS SBP Cutoff (70 + 2×Age) |
| 50th Percentile (Median) | — | — | Median Normal |
| 90th Percentile | — | — | Elevated Threshold |
| 95th Percentile | — | — | Stage 1 HTN Threshold |
| 95th + 12 mmHg | — | — | Stage 2 HTN Threshold |
Enter child's age, height in cm, and measured blood pressure to evaluate centiles.
AAP 2017 & PALS Pediatric Blood Pressure Guidelines:
- PALS Hypotension Definition (5th Percentile): PALS defines pediatric hypotension specifically by Systolic BP < 5th percentile:
• Term Neonates (0–28d): SBP < 60 mmHg
• Infants (1–12m): SBP < 70 mmHg
• Children 1–10 years: SBP < 70 + (2 × Age in years) mmHg
• Children > 10 years: SBP < 90 mmHg. - Auto-Applied Height Percentiles: Entering measured height in cm automatically determines the exact height percentile from AAP/CDC growth curves and looks up the corresponding blood pressure centile thresholds. If height is omitted, the 50th percentile is automatically applied.
- AAP 2017 Staging Rule: Blood pressure is classified based on whichever parameter (SBP or DBP) falls into the higher severity category:
• Normal BP: Both SBP and DBP < 90th percentile.
• Elevated BP: SBP or DBP ≥ 90th to < 95th percentile (or 120/<80 to <95th in ≥13y).
• Stage 1 HTN: SBP or DBP ≥ 95th to < 95th + 12 mmHg (or 130/80 to 139/89 in ≥13y).
• Stage 2 HTN: SBP or DBP ≥ 95th + 12 mmHg (or ≥ 140/90 in ≥13y).