OT- Blood pressure monitors?

I have to purchase a blood pressure monitor for my wife. She has to be able to use it by herself. There is a wide variety of styles (and prices)

Im looking for some input as to the best bang for my buck. Ebay is probably where I will purchase one, but there are so many types I dont quite know where to start. Ive already done a bit of websearching, and read the few reviews I could find, but none were particularly helpful, nor was there a free "consumers report" site with any information other than sales propaganda.

Anyone have any recommendations? Are the automatic wrist types accurate enough for home use? While Im comfortable using the old bulb and stethescope units, she is not, so something either fully automatic or manually inflated, automatic read is what I have to get. I do know the finger style is not particularly accurate, and she does have reduced circulation due to her medical conditions.

Thanks in advance

Gunner

"Cosmic upheaval is not so moving as a little child pondering the death of a sparrow in the corner of a barn." -Anouk Aimee, French Actor

Reply to
Gunner
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Well, my wife has an old Norelco automatic cuff that she's had for years and it still works fine. One just puts on the cuff and hits a button. It does the rest.

She says to avoid the wrist cuff ones. Hospital grade wrist cuffs are okay but as of last time she checked, a couple weeks ago, doctors and nurses were saying the ones available at most retail stores were notoriously inaccurate in their opinions. She inquired with docs and nurses she knows because a friend has had problems and needed to purchase a monitor. And mentioned getting a wrist cuff type.

That's as much as I know. She has hers as part of the standard medical kit she maintains around the house. And as it still works fine, she's not had to replace it. So we're not familiar with more recently made monitors. But I thought I'd mention the warning about the cheap retail wrist cuffs.

Bob

Reply to
Bob G

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 3:55:21 -0700, Bob G wrote (in message ):

I agree. I've used a Norelco for years. Most of the home units are guaranteed accurate within one percent. I prefer the kind where you pump up the cuff yourself, but that's just me.

Hope this helps.

Roger in Vegas Worlds Greatest Impulse Buyer

Reply to
Roger Hull

The unit I was just issued by the VA is a one step auto-inflation, blood pressure monitor, by LifeSource. It has a Lifetime Warranty (hope that's not a joke) and seems to be well made. Very compact. Uses 4 AA batteries, not included. Comes in three models according to cuff size: small--arm size 5.1-7.9", model no. UA-279; medium--arm size 7.5-12.2", model no. UA-767V; and large--arm size 11.8-17.7, model no. UA-767VL. Replacement cuffs are also available. You can get them from a retailer or directly from LifeSource at

1-888-726-9966. Web site is at
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Now that I have the thing I'd like to use it for other applications, but can't think of any offhand.

bookburn

Reply to
bookburn

Hey Gunner,

My wife uses a Walmart purchased :

LifeSource Model UA-767

It is one of the ones for use on the bicep, or at least just above the elbow. Works very well, and she says (although she can't find the book at the moment) that it has a lifetime guarantee. I think it was about 80 bucks Canadian.

Take care.

Brian Laws> I have to purchase a blood pressure monitor for my wife. She has to

Reply to
Brian Lawson

Hey Gunner,

Hit the Send butt> I have to purchase a blood pressure monitor for my wife. She has to

Reply to
Brian Lawson

I second the recommendation of buying at walmart.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus4468

I have a Lumiscope 1080 I bought at Walgreen's a while back. It is fully automatic and uses 4 AAs and fuzzy logic. It seems to work well. I don't remember what it cost - less than $100. If by "monitor" you mean something worn all the time, I don't know anything about those.

-- Robert Sturgeon, proud member of the vast right wing conspiracy and the evil gun culture.

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Reply to
Robert Sturgeon

Most all are about the same, except for the high dollar ones. I had two now, one a manual PITA self inflating one. The other one, an automatic pump up kind. Buy the automatic pump up kind. It is MUCH easier to use, therefore the patient will use it more often.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

|| I have to purchase a blood pressure monitor for my wife. She has to ||be able to use it by herself. There is a wide variety of styles (and ||prices)

When the doc told me to start checking mine daily, I stopped by Walgreens and bought the best one they had. It was the fully automatic unit. Put te cuff on, hit the button, let it cycle through, read the results. Still works great, on the original batteries. Cost about $75. Rex in Fort Worth

Reply to
Rex B

Just for your information, losing weight on a sensible diet can dramatically help with BP issues. I lost 50 lbs and no longer have hypertension.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus4468

||In article , Rex B wrote: ||> On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 07:59:13 GMT, Gunner wrote: ||> ||>|| I have to purchase a blood pressure monitor for my wife. She has to ||>||be able to use it by herself. There is a wide variety of styles (and ||>||prices) ||> ||> When the doc told me to start checking mine daily, I stopped by Walgreens and ||> bought the best one they had. It was the fully automatic unit. Put te cuff on, ||> hit the button, let it cycle through, read the results. Still works great, on ||> the original batteries. Cost about $75. ||> Rex in Fort Worth || ||Just for your information, losing weight on a sensible diet can ||dramatically help with BP issues. I lost 50 lbs and no longer have ||hypertension.

I'm 6'4", 199-lbs. A little round in the middle but no obesity that you'd notice. I like a couple of beers in the evening, and I like salt on my steaks. And coffee, though I'm moving to decaf. Need to excercidse more, though I'm plenty active. Even on 10 mg Norvac I can't get below about 155/95. Need to get a little lower to renew my SCCA license, which expires this month. Rex in Fort Worth

Reply to
Rex B

Chuckle..hypertension is one one of the wife's problems. After two heart attacks, a double bypass, the resulting arrhythmia etc, a diet of Coumadan and Amadron..her BP runs about 80/90..when its that high. Lots of blood thinners.... monitored every couple weeks by her oncologist and cardiac care specialists

she is 5'2", around 115lbs soaking wet with low normal choresteral. Unfortunately, there is a family genetic predisposition to plugged arteries, and a "best if used by date" that runs in one side of the family. Her dad died at 45 from a heart attack, both her brothers had heart attacks at 45 and she had hers at 45. She resembles her brothers far more than the sisters and mom, who have no history of any heart problems, so it was passed along the male side of the family.

5 angioplasties, two shunts, and she still plugs off, and she has very very small veins and arteries according to her cardiac specialist. They had a hell of a time figuring out why she builds plaque and plugs off.

Gunner

"Cosmic upheaval is not so moving as a little child pondering the death of a sparrow in the corner of a barn." -Anouk Aimee, French Actor

Reply to
Gunner

i got a Reli-On Digital Blood pressure monitor from Walgreens or K-mart dont remember... had it about 4 yrs. and it works pretty goo.... its teh cuff that goes over the arm.. you can use either some batteries or the a/c adapter... i use the a/c adapter all the time.. friend has a cuff you put on the wrist with just batteries and always has problems with the batteries either slipping or not making contact and always getting bad readings.... hope this helps., just make sure you can plug it in the wall.....

Reply to
jim

I've got both a auto inflate cuff type and a finger cuff type that I use. Both have been checked against a regular manual cuff and are within 10 points or less of the manual cuff with a nurse doing the reading. I like my finger unit because it is quick and is a lot less bothersome to use than the cuff unit. Don't remember the cost for sure, but I think it was under $50 retail. The only hitch that I noticed with the finger unit is that it is somewhat noise sensitive and that you need to keep the elbow a bit more straight that you would think. I cured the noise problem by making sure that my arm wasn't being supported directly on a hard surface and that I let the unit hang on the index finger without touching the rest of my hand. If you want the model number, I'll have to grab it when I get home in the morning.

Craig C. snipped-for-privacy@ev1.net

Reply to
Craig

Hi Gunner,

What ever you buy look for it to have approval from either the AAMI ( American Association for Medical Instruments) or BHS A/A ( British Hypertension Society Grade A/A) accreditation. Also if your wife is thin check on the cuff size as this can affect readings.

Avoid the wrist monitors they are not directly comparable with the measurements you doc will get and the validity is disputed.

Here in the UK Omron and their M5-I ( around 70 -90 GBP) are the market leader.

Check out

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This gives some guidance on the validated types.

Neil

Reply to
Neil

They are very good. You get the most accurate reading when you put it around your neck, try it. Mark K.

Reply to
Mark K.

bye Zoomie

Gunner

"Cosmic upheaval is not so moving as a little child pondering the death of a sparrow in the corner of a barn." -Anouk Aimee, French Actor

Reply to
Gunner

One would think that a caring individual such as yourself wouldn't stoop to the least common denominator.

Reply to
ab

On Mon, 12 Apr 2004 07:59:13 GMT, Gunner shouted from the rooftop:

Omron HEM- 413C. Simple enough that an old lady can use it. Dead accurate. Cheap.

Do not get the self inflating kind of monitor. They tend to make the patient anxious by removing a layer of control. The anxiety will raise BP.

-Carl "An honest man doesn't need a long memory"- Jesse Ventura

Reply to
Carl Byrns

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