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Home Blood Pressure Monitor

Aka: Home Blood Pressure Monitor, Blood Pressure Monitors for Home

Types: Home monitors
1. Automatic arm monitors
  1. Most accurate
2. Manual arm monitors
3. Wrist monitors
  1. Most convenient but least accurate
Products: Best machines by Consumer Reports Study (June, 2003)
1. ReliOn (Made by Omron and sold as Wal-Mart brand)
  1. Consumer Reports best buy for $50
2. Omron Blood Pressure Monitors
  1. HEM-711AC (with Intellisence) for $80
  2. HEM-712C for $70
Equipment
1. See BP Examination for determining cuff size
Technique
1. Keep arm supported at heart level
2. Sit with back supported and feet flat on floor
3. Rest for 5 minutes before checking Blood Pressure (30 minutes following Exercise)
4. Take the average of 3 readings at 1 minute apart
5. Avoid Caffeine (>30 minutes) and Tobacco (>2 hours) before taking Blood Pressure
References
1. (June, 2003) Consumer Reports, p. 22-4
2. (2008) Prescriber's Letter 15(3):14

Family Practice Notebook

Patients should address specific medical concerns with their physicians.

Although access to this page is not restricted, the information found here is intended for use by medical providers.

This page was written by Scott Moses, MD, last revised on 10/21/2007 and last published on 6/18/2013.

This is one of 5909 pages in the Family Practice Notebook