Blood pressure monitors and how to use them; taking a blood pressure measurement; continuous monitoring

ZebraL said:
@mango have you or others found a different home blood pressure monitor that works better? My Omron gives me the E5 (pulse not detected) error when standing (and sometimes seated). Omron customer service essentially told me it's not their problem because you're only supposed to use them seated on a hard surface. They suggested I take my BP manually (not something I know how to do and not convenient to do 3 times in a row for orthostatic vitals). Thanks!
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I use an A&D Medical BP monitor that I bought, as this was the same as the one my GPs surgery loaned me to begin with.
I've used it to take it standing, sitting, lying down.

 
Merged thread

Does anyone have any idea whether any portable blood pressure monitors are reliable?


Particularly looking at one not attached to a separate display that has to sit on the side or lap or wherever it can balance but something all in that I could put on for a day

and usable - the ideal would be something that connects eg to a phone or online so I don't need to write down somewhere the result. The portable part is so I'd already have it in place rather than wrestle with doing so ideally but I don't know about eg the wrist types vs whether ones exist in the normal sleeve area that send result somewhere so you can read it.

But ideally if it does log it that I could perhaps put a note with it eg if I was able to press the button on it when I was actually feeling funny or exerting myself.

I'm not sure what sort of OI type thing I might have and so would be interested in being able to see what happens to both blood pressure and heart rate on the occasions where I stand in particular. And of course when I'm feeling funny

But the normal type involves me getting the thing on my arm which involves both time and exertion/wherewithall. And I'm likely to have already had to recline to stop myself from fainting.

I'd quite like something that means I can catch it either before or while it is happenning rather than trying to work out just from the 'after' part
 
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I think they are good enough if they have an MDR CE certification (in the EU). But my cardiologist said that the automatic ones (including their stationary one) are not very good with movement. So they did my OI measurements the old fashioned way with a hand pump cuff and a stethoscope.
 
Limited knowledge to offer, but for what it's worth:

I was given a wrist cuff and used it to take a set of readings. My GP asked what type of device I'd used, and when I showed it to her she advised me against using it—too unreliable, apparently. She gave me a list of affordable home monitors they recommended at the time, and I bought one of those.

The readings from the arm cuff type reflected the range I got when the nurse took my readings, but there could be a 10 or 15 point difference to what the wrist cuff said.

Obviously I don't really know whether either of them were reliable. For a start you're supposed to have them calibrated regularly, and I didn't know whether the wrist cuff had ever been reset since it left the factory. But on balance it seemed like the arm cuff was a better bet. Doesn't help you much, though, @bobbler!
 
I keep getting ads from within the Patient Access app/service that my GP surgery uses, linked to the UK NHS records, for Hilo (previously called Aktiia - that they describe as a 'trusted partner') which is a wearable BP monitor. It's not cheap at £210, but links to an app etc. Have been tempted a few times, but, the cost put me off tbh. www.hilo.com/uk
 
I think we have had a thread on this before. Basically, home blood pressure monitors are unreliable, especially Omron. To get an accurate reading you need to be sure that the forces on the arm applied by the cuff are not interfered with by clothing, bony bits and other things. There are various standard ways to get a wrong reading like rolling a sleeve up above the cuff.

My wife went through this and was given medication for no reason. It was only when I got out an old machine from hospital and did the blood pressure by hand as I was taught as a student that we could see that her BP was completely normal and it has been ever since.
 
Jonathan Edwards said:
I think we have had a thread on this before. Basically, home blood pressure monitors are unreliable, especially Omron. To get an accurate reading you need to be sure that the forces on the arm applied by the cuff are not interfered with by clothing, bony bits and other things. There are various standard ways to get a wrong reading like rolling a sleeve up above the cuff.

My wife went through this and was given medication for no reason. It was only when I got out an old machine from hospital and did the blood pressure by hand as I was taught as a student that we could see that her BP was completely normal and it has been ever since.
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Do you mean that it needs to be one with the squeeze ball & not an electric one?


Sometimes GB surgeries loan theirs out- presumably electric - would these readings be reliable?
 
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