Q: My BP is high and hard to hear. What other methods could be used to get an accurate BP reading?
A: A sphygmomanometer is a blood pressure device used in many physician offices to measure blood pressure. With this device, one listens for the sound of the return of blood flow. On the other hand, with an electronic blood pressure monitor, the pulse does not need to be heard as a blood pressure reading is based on measurable electronic waves. Many different types of electronic devices are available for both home and professional use.
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Pl.recommend a particular brand of electronic instrument as some that i have used do not give an accurate reading.
I got my electronic B.P. monitor from a Walgreens shop in the USA. It is their own brand, and I have found it quite satisfactory.
pls recommend the best brand of electronic monitor I can use at home.
I have trouble with my blood pressure being high when I first take it–I wait 10 minutes of so & retake it & it comes down to a fairly normal range. 190/94 down to 154/79. I take Metoprolol 100 mg 2 x/d and Linsinopril 5 mg 2 x/d. Because of high blood pressure, broke blood vessel on the back of right eye & lost vision–have “white coat syndrome”. 190/104 at eye doctors each month. Am taking Avastin and cortisone shot in eye ball.–I also had a benign brain tumor (meningioma) of the cerebellum/brain stem and had surgery 1 year ago–since then the blood pressure is a little irregular.
Where can I find one of the electronic blood pressure monitors and can you recommend two or three models to choose from? Im in the same boat, cant read bp on most machines as it is too faint and quiet.
I work for a nursing agency and do BP screenings for them. I found that the Omron Blood Pressure Monitor is the best. Its accurate , detects morning hypertension, has a two person memory and detects irregular heartbeats. I liked it so much that I bought one for myself. I think it was somewhere around $75 but well worth it since now I can keep track of my own, my husbands and my son and his wife’s blood pressure. Its easy to use and easy to read results. Its the one that goes on the upper arm, not wrist. Model # Hem-780.
MAYBE A BETTER SHYG IS A POSSIBLE, THEY CAN COST 5$ OR $200. ALSO, PLACE THE BELL A LITTLE MORE TOWARD THE ELBOW. MAKE SURE YOU PLACED THE CUFF CORRECTLY.
Electronic devices are not reliable. That’s why hospitals still use automated systems based on the cuff and sound waves from a transducer. The heart sounds associated with high blood pressure should be easier, not harder, to hear. Perhaps some training in this area is appropriate.
One can always do what I did and that is take the device to one’s doctor and measure its accuracy against the doctors reading
In the last month or so, my top pressure s always high. I take Cozaar 100 mgs and Verapamil 120 mils.
I have white coat syndrome, and have been through a lot of scares at the doctor’s office, where they out- right insisted that I go on medication. That sent me on a quest to find out my true blood pressure, which lead me to the conclusion that the only way to get accurate measurements was to take them myself. So I learned the American Heart Association protocols (arm position, posture, frequency)for taking blood pressure, many of which are not followed in doctor’s offices, and tried several digital monitors, but got very erratic results–variations of 15 points systolic and 10 diastolic from reading to reading. Then I purchased a good quality sphygmomanomoter ($80 from American Diagnostics Corporation “ADC”)and learned how to pronounce the name, which wasn’t easy! The sounds on the stethascope(“Horotcoff Sounds”) were confusing at first, but with practice I began to sort them out. I found that youtube.com has some recordings of the sounds that helps you read them. Since then I have been getting very consistent readings which are well below the 140/90 standard for needing medication. The whole process took practice, but it was well worth it for the peace of mind.
1. It is now accepted that “white coat syndrome” is a red flag for hypertension. If a person keeps having high readings at home while it might appear lower at home; this is an indication that there is a problem with your blood pressure. One of the ways to look at this is to have 24 hr Ambulatory Monitoring which would indicate also what happens to your BP while yopu are sleep. The higher priced Omron and A& D have been vadilated – never use a wrist or finger monitor. Check at the same time every day for a week to see if there is a pattern and bring your results to your doctor. But if your BP is consistently high at the Dr’s office, the question is what is hapenning to your BP when facing any challenging situation. Need to see a Dr that is an expert in treating BP and not just your regular Dr. Also, it takes a great deal of experience to accuraetely read Bp using the gold standard of the old fashion mercury column