Selection Pressure February 8, 2020 at 5:12 am
E-automated devices for measuring blood pressure at the shoulder, wrist and fingers. Electronic devices for measuring blood pressure at shoulder level, whether it be semi-automatic (hand-cuffs are inflated by compressing pears) or automatic (running on battery or AC) are more favorable for self-measurement of blood pressure at home. These devices are simple to use, require minimal training and many of them available at a reasonable price. Preferred are tonometers with the memory that automatically stores each measurement (with the date and time) and the average values of all measurements up to doctor's visit. Wrist devices are less accurate and are not recommended except when the brachial blood pressure measurement is impossible or very difficult. Walmart: the source for more info. Finger devices are not recommended.
Mercury sphygmomanometers require careful study and have been banned in some countries for environmental reasons. Aneroid devices also require training and regular calibration. Use of these devices should be limited to patients who have automatic measurements are impossible or inaccurate. Not all commercially available sphygmomanometers for home measurement of blood pressure were appropriately monitored. Current information on test devices should be provided by your doctor. Important for precise measurement is the selection of appropriate cuff size should match the patient's arm. An inflatable bag cuff should cover 80-100% of arm circumference. Using a small cuff can lead to an overestimation blood pressure, while the use of large cuffs to an underestimation of bp. Therefore, if your hand is a circle of 32 cm, make sure the device is equipped with a small or large cuff, respectively.
