Home
Home Blood Pressure
Monitors
Approximately
40% to 50% of adults in the United States have hypertension (high blood
pressure). One very important part of managing this disease is monitoring
blood pressure. Patients have blood pressure checked at each physician visit,
but there are many benefits to patients taking their own blood pressure
at home. Patients may feel more in control of their disease, and treatment
and medication changes may be made based on these results. There are several
things to think about when considering home blood pressure monitors.
Picking
the Best Monitor for You
- Select a cuff that fits comfortably. You should
be able to slide one finger under the cuff and the lower edge should be
one inch above your elbow. Larger/smaller cuffs may be ordered.
- Select the type that best suits your needs:
1.
Automatic arm cuff - fits around the upper arm and automatically
inflates. This type may not work for some people who have irregular heartbeats.
2.
Manual arm cuff - readings automatically display, but you must inflate
the cuff by pumping a bulb.
3.
Wrist monitors - very convenient, but usually more expensive than
other monitors, and slightly less consistent.
4.
Fingertip monitors - considered slightly less reliable than other
models.
- Other things to consider: Is the digital display
large enough for you to read easily? Does the machine have the ability
to store blood pressure values in its memory or will you need to keep
these records?
Before
Taking Your Blood Pressure
- You want to sit quietly for a few minutes before
taking a blood pressure.
- Sit up straight with feet flat on the floor. Do
not cross your legs or your ankles.
- Wait at least half an hour after eating, drinking
caffeinated drinks, smoking, or exercising in order to get the most accurate
reading.
Taking
Blood Pressure
- Roll up the sleeve on your arm or remove any tight-sleeved
clothing.
- For arm models rest your arm on a table with your
palm facing upwards. For wrist models keep your wrist level with your
heart.
- Avoid talking while taking your blood pressure.
- May repeat blood pressure after a few minutes.
- It is important to check the blood pressure readings
from your home machine with your physician at least once or twice a year,
or more frequently if the machine is dropped or if blood pressure readings
change suddenly.
What
Blood Pressure Numbers Mean
The
readings from the blood pressure machine indicate how hard your heart is
working to pump blood. The top number (systolic pressure) indicates the
pressure while the heart pumps and the bottom number (diastolic pressure)
indicates the pressure between heartbeats. The goal is to have blood pressure
below 120/80.
How
to Reduce Blood Pressure
There
are several dietary and lifestyle changes that can be made to decrease blood
pressure. These include weight loss, decreased sodium intake, increased
exercise, stop smoking, and increased consumption of fruits and vegetables.
There are many other things you can do to help control your blood pressure,
just ask your healthcare professional.
Blood
Pressure Monitor Comparison
|
Product |
Manufacturer
Contact |
Retail
Price as of January 2004 |
Comments |
|
Type:
ARM AUTOMATIC |
|||
|
Healthometer
Automatic Digital BPM 7631 |
www.healthometer.com
|
$90 |
Products
rated most highly by Consumer Reports in this category (and
overall):1
|
|
Lifesource
One Step Autoinflation BPM UA-767V, UA-767VL |
www.lifesourceonline.com
|
$90 |
|
|
Lifesource
Quick Response BPM w/Easycuff UA-787V |
www.lifesourceonline.com
|
$110 |
|
|
Lumiscope
Automatic Inflation BPM 1085 M or MC |
(732)
254-3800 |
$100 |
|
|
Lumiscope
Smartinflate Blood Pressure & Pulse Monitor 1095 |
(732)
254-3800 |
$130 |
|
|
Mark
of Fitness Auto-Inflate BPM with IQ system MF-43 |
www.markoffitness.com
|
$54 |
|
|
Omron
Automatic BPM with Intellisense HEM-711AC |
www.omron.com
|
$110 |
|
|
Omron
Automatic BPM HEM-712C, HEM 712CLC |
www.omron.com
|
$84 |
|
|
Relion
(Wal-Mart) Automatic BPM HEM 741CREL |
www.wsff.com/relion/index.html |
$46 |
|
|
Type:
ARM MANUAL |
|||
|
Lifesource
Manual Inflation BPM UA-702V, UA-702VL |
www.lifesourceonline.com
|
$52 |
Products
in this category equally rated by Consumer Reports.1 |
|
Lumiscope
Semi-Automatic BPM 1060 |
(732)
254-3800 |
$60 |
|
|
Type:
WRIST AUTOMATIC |
|||
|
Lifesource
Wrist Ultra Compact BPM UB-401 |
www.lifesourceonline.com
|
$120 |
Product
rated most highly by Consumer Reports in this category:1
|
|
Lumiscope
Fuzzy Logic Automatic Inflation BPM 1091 |
(732)
254-3800 |
$100 |
|
|
Mark
of Fitness Wristwatch style BPM with IQ system MF-75 |
www.markoffitness.com
|
$65 |
|
|
Omron
Portable Wrist BPM HEM-629 |
www.omron.com
|
$84 |
|
|
Omron
Wrist BPM with APS HEM-637 |
www.omron.com
|
$150 |
|
Home
Monitoring of Blood Pressure
Hypertension
is among the most common disease states in America, with approximately 50
million people affected. The most recent guidelines for management of hypertension
(JNC-7) indicate that patient self-monitoring of blood pressure is helpful
in delaying need for drug therapy, and provides especially helpful data
in smokers due to acute changes smoking exerts on blood pressures.2
In order to obtain optimal management of hypertension blood pressure must
be monitored frequently. Home monitoring of blood pressure is an important
step in both improving outcomes and involving patients in their disease
state management.
Patients
must be educated in how to take a blood pressure as well as what the values
mean. Patients may often need assistance selecting the best monitor for
them. Some patients may not have the manual dexterity to pump a manual cuff
while other patients may have irregular heartbeats that affect the ability
of an automatic cuff to accurately measure blood pressure.3 Patients
should be encouraged to keep records of at home pressure readings and compare
them to values obtained in physician offices to help identify possible white
coat hypertension or poorly controlled hypertension.
There
are several issues for consumers to consider when selecting a blood pressure
monitor. The table above lists information about some of the top selling
monitors. It is important to note that the wrist and finger models are considered
less accurate than the arm models and that issue should be discussed with
patients. Also patients need to be counseled regarding selection of proper
sized cuffs to ensure accurate measurement.
*This
document was prepared by Kelly M. Shields, Pharm.D.
References
- Anon. Blood pressure monitors. Consumer Reports
2003;68(6):22.
- Chobanian AV, Bakris GL, #000066 HR, et al. Seventh
report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation,
and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. Hypertension 2003;42:1206-52.
- American Academy of Family Physicians. Blood Pressure
Monitoring at Home. Available from http://familydoctor.org/x1605.xml.
(Accessed January 20, 2004).
February
2004
