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Home Blood Pressure Monitor
Aka: Home Blood Pressure Monitor, Blood Pressure Monitors for Home
- See Also
- Blood Pressure
- Blood Pressure Physiology
- Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring
- Indications
- White-Coat Hypertension
- Refractory Hypertension
- Antihypertensive Compliance
- Types: Home monitors
- Automatic arm cuffs monitors
- Most accurate
- Manual arm monitors
- Wrist monitors
- Most convenient but least accurate
- Not recommended unless large arm is unable to fit in arm cuff
- If wrist cuffs must be used, during measurement, keep the wrist still at heart level
- Avoid finger cuffs
- Most inaccurate of all devices
- Preparations: Blood Pressure Monitors
- U.S. Blood Pressure Validated Devices
- https://www.validatebp.org/
- General
- Arm cuffs are preferred for most consistent accuracy (see above)
- Omron has consistently been top in Consumer Reports reviews since I started looking at this in 2003
- Omron has also been the manufacturer behind other brands (e.g. Walmart's ReliOn BP cuff)
- Best arm cuff monitors Consumer Reports (2014) - preferred method
- CVS Premium BP3MV1-3WCVS ($66)
- Omron 10 Series BP785 ($100)
- Best wrist monitors by Consumer Reports (2014)
- Wrist cuffs are not recommended (less accurate) - see above
- Omron 7 Series BP652 wrist monitor ($70)
- Rite Aid Automatic RC210 ($50)
- Preparations: Calibration
- See BP Examination for determining cuff size
- Patient should bring Blood Pressure cuff to clinic annually to check against a manual Blood Pressure
- Technique
- Keep arm supported at heart level
- Sit with back supported and feet flat on floor
- Rest for 5 minutes before checking Blood Pressure
- Take the average of 3 readings at 1 minute apart
- Avoid checking Blood Pressure within 30 minutes of Exercise, Caffeine or Tobacco
- Protocol: Blood Pressure logs
- Start by logging Blood Pressures morning and night for one week
- Repeat Blood Pressure check weekly (or repeat a one week log every 6-12 months)
- Consider more intensive monitoring before and during antihypertensive management changes
- References
- (2014) Consumer Reports, accessed online 2/11/2015
- (2008) Presc Lett 15(3):14
- (2015) Presc Lett 22(2):11-2