Blood Pressure Meter

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judway

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I am considering getting a wrist type cuff vs a regular cuff machine. Is this a good idea? I am concerned about the accuracy. I seem to get all kinds of measurements using my regular machine. TNX!!
 
One of the DR's office that I visit uses the wrist type.  I asked the nurse about the accuracy and she said she tested and compared them quite extensively and found no problem
 
http://www.omronhealthcare.com/products/hem-907xl/

wrist band is not very accurate.
if your doctors nurse is using it I'd have to question.
I've never heard it being good at all, but told not use them,
by Doctors and RVNS. My family has high blood pressure
problems. We where told to never use them. I use the above.
I don't sale them. You can also down load and do a print out.
I usually take a print out to my MD, blood pressure is under control now.
This is my personal experince.
 
My Doctor said not to take BP more than every 10 minutes because of the accuracy of readings.  In addition, it will vary arm to arm.  Also, no eating, or talking while taking BP.  She had me taking readings throughout the day.  I found on myself, that my left arm had consistently lower readings than my right arm, over the ten day period she had me taking BP.  Now I take it occasionally, but don't have to keep a log anymore. 
 
Stay away from the wrist types. My wife had open heart surgery last month and we needed to take her blood pressure quite often. We had a wrist meter but kept getting what seemed to be really wild reading, so I purchased a different model which didn't do any better. I finally purchased an Omron BP785, that uses an arm cuff, not cheap but seems to be accurate. When the visiting nurse came I check our reading with her meter and they were very close.

Bob
 
As a pharmacist, I agree with the previous posts.  The wrist monitors are not as accurate and will read all over the place.  Realize that your BP will vary only minutes apart due activity.  Just moving slightly between readings will have an effect.  Also, you are only looking for trends, which means readings over several days.  Then look at averages.  What you ate the day before can raise your BP.  Any extra dose of salt can bring your BP up several points.  Remember, a box of corn flakes has more salt in it than a box of potato chips.  Watch the sodium content of things you eat.
 
kjansen said:
As a pharmacist, I agree with the previous posts.

Kevin,
Could you recommend maybe a couple of tried and true BP monitors available at stores such as Walgreen, Rite Aid, CVS, and the like?  Some of us don't have memberships at Sams Club or Costco.
 
johnandcarol said:
I don't find any automatic device accurate.  I can take a reading seconds apart and get differant results. A few tries and I get the reading I want.

Even with professionals takng the reading (nurse/doctor) using the more traditional devices this happens.  Blood pressure can change fairly quickly.

They did some testing where they used implants (Very very accurate) and proved this as I understand.
 
Here is a Mayo Clinic article about wrist type blood pressure cuffs http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/wrist-blood-pressure-monitors/AN01839, and also a summary of a study from the University of SD regarding automatic and manual digital devices http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18755068. Their conclusion was that, "This study demonstrates there is inaccuracy in the use of automated blood pressure monitors and traditional aneroid manometers when compared to the gold standard mercury column manometer for subjects of all ages and blood pressure ranges." Wrist monitors were less accurate than the arm cuffs.

I always take my auto device with me to the Dr. and have it checked against their big mercury manometer. It seems about every year or two I have to replace the auto one as it is no longer accurate when compared to the Dr office.
 
Checking your auto monitor with your doc's office equipment is a great idea!  It is sad however that you may pay the big bucks for what you would think is a quality monitor, only to find out it registers inaccurate after only a year or two.

It seems more and more that the BP monitors sold at the corner "drug stores" and discount clubs are not to be relied on. True?
 
I can usually tell when my BP goes up. I get little silver spots (floaters) instead of the dark ones, Check my BP right after and it is higher. I use a CVS model of the arm cuff style.  MY blood pressures rises with activity, eating or resting so i make sure I notate that.
 
denmarc said:
Checking your auto monitor with your doc's office equipment is a great idea!  It is sad however that you may pay the big bucks for what you would think is a quality monitor, only to find out it registers inaccurate after only a year or two.

It seems more and more that the BP monitors sold at the corner "drug stores" and discount clubs are not to be relied on. True?

Mine is usually broken after a couple of years of use.  So I end up getting a new one every couple of years anyway.  If it weren't for these automatic ones, I'd never be able to keep track of BP at home.

Although she recommended the Omron, my BP-785 is made in China.  It's still working, but anyone know of a good one made in the US?  For my next purchase of course.
 
Sorry, Denmarc , for not getting back.  Omron is a good machine, although all could have a lemon.  Taking your BP unit to the doctor is a good idea.  You will never match his but you can calibrate the difference.  The doctor might get 130/85 and yours may be 135/88.  So now you know yours calibrates a little high.  Again, check often and watch for trends.  A few points diference from day to day will usaully be from diet, but if you always see your unit go from 135/88  to say 140/92 on a consistant basis you may be headed for an adjustment in drug doseage. 
 
Omron 711 user here, has been working well for 8 years.  I trust it for general use and am satisfied with all readings if the fall within my broadly accepted readings. What are broadly accepted readings?

  Over the years no major changes have ocurred, yet from day to day and hour to hour there will be variations.

  My major concern has been when I visit the Doctors office. They will take one reading and determine whether you BP is ok or not. Then they will probably prescribe your medication dosage from that reading and keep raising it until the next time he/she checks it.

Well, I was fooled and suffered the consequences.  They kept raising my dosage until I developed hypo-tension = too low BP.  Fainting at home, black-outs, bruises and dangerous falls. etc..with disastrous results. My readings at home were good but not in the doctors office.... too high. How could I argue with the good Doctor ?

  My personal answer is as follows.... the old WCS, also called White Coat Syndrome.  see link below.

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_coat_hypertension

  Therefor it is important to check your BP at home and begin to see the trend during normal daily activity and not worry if the BP goes up or down a lot. Figure out what may have caused it in your daily life and activity.

Now, don't get me wrong.. I am not an MD but have been around for a long time. My problems started 14 years ago when I started seeing the Doc for check-ups. Never had a medical problem in my first 65 years.

  Ok folks, tear this apart.  YMMV.



 

 
 
carson said:
Ok folks, tear this apart.  YMMV.

Carson sounds right to me. MD's have go a lot of schooling, but still can be wronge.
And that's why the call it a practice.

Just Don a practicing human
 
Going along with the two previous posts, I also had a similar experience seeing my PCP for my last physical earlier this year.  After getting into my exam room, the assistant does all the Q & A to enter into my computer file.  She then takes my BP, squints a bit and looks at me.  "What?" I asked.  She informed me my BP was a bit high.  Too high.  She makes notes of it and tells me the doc will be just a few minutes.

Doc comes in and asked how I am.  I told I was doing fine until about 5 minutes prior when the assistant mentioned my BP.  He read the notes, grabbed the cuff and took my BP again himself.  I did notice he took his time.  He pulled the cuff off and smirked.  "Your BP is fine.  122/78." 

He told me the assistant didn't pay close enough attention to what she was doing.  Some patients are just a touch harder to listen to while the BP is taken and mistakes are made due to false markers.

Bottom line is don't rely on the first BP reading.  Regardless of who took it.  If you keep track of your own readings on a regular basis and know where it should be based on those reading, and then when at the doctors office you hear something out of wack, by all means tell your doc about it! 
 

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