Home blood pressure monitor: how to choose a blood pressure monitor?

If you suffer from high blood pressure or any other condition that requires blood pressure monitoring, you probably know how important it is to keep track of potential fluctuations throughout the day.Blood pressure more often varies in women at a young age. During pregnancy you may experience variations in blood pressure (a condition that poses a risk to the fetus and the mother, requiring continuous medical surveillance). An onset of hypertensive hypertonic disease indicates a steady rise in blood pressure in people over 50.

It's not convenient to go to the doctor every time you need an accurate measurement of vital parameters, and fortunately, you don't even have to. There are a wide variety of blood pressure monitors that give you the same results from the comfort of your own home and help you monitor your vital signs at all times. A quality blood pressure monitor for home use can also be an essential health management tool, as sharing the results with your doctor can be a huge help in adjusting your treatment.

Types of tonometers

Three types of blood pressure monitors can be found in pharmacies. The choice depends on your budget and your goals.

• Mechanical - they structurally include a rubber bulb, a cuff, a pressure gauge, and a stethoscope to listen to your pulse. These are difficult to use - you have to deal with the device. It is extremely inconvenient to measure the pressure on your own, therefore, mechanical blood pressure monitors are mainly used in medical institutions, being professional blood pressure monitors. The advantages of the device include high accuracy of indicators, observing the rules of measurement. In the category blood pressure monitors prices - has the most affordable cost. Doctors are of the opinion that mechanical devices give the least error when exposed to unwanted factors - involuntary movements, a conversation in the process of measurement.
• Semi-automatics - from the first type are distinguished by the presence of an electronic display that replaces the gauge. The rest of the design is the same as mechanical models. In addition, there may be a measurement log, backlight. Semi-automatic tonometers are more convenient for the home than mechanical models. They are also affordable, can be used independently. Disadvantages - pumping a pear requires a demand, albeit small, but effort, which can be difficult to cope with for an elderly and/or ill person. If you break the rules of measurement, the result will be distorted, so it is advisable to take at least two measurements in a row and obtain an average value.
• Automatic - the best option for home use, elderly people who need to independently monitor the pressure. The method of operation is very simple - the user just put on a cuff and pressed a button. All indicators appear on the electronic display. These are the most functional devices that are often equipped with additional options. They have a higher price, but they have many advantages. They are very easy to use, you can measure pressure in any conditions, you do not need any skills.

There are also mercury tonometers, but they are used extremely rarely and only in hospitals and clinics.

Depending on the method of attaching the cuff, blood pressure monitors are divided into the following types:

• Shoulder. The most common, also called an arm blood pressure monitor. On sale appeared among the first and are still popular. In this category you can find both mechanical and electronic models. They fit almost everyone and provide the most accurate measurement results. The disadvantages can only be attributed to the need to remove clothes, as the hand does not have to squeeze anything.
• On the wrist. It is convenient to use. They are often chosen by athletes to control blood pressure during training. Advantages of wrist-worn tonometers - ease of use, small size, ability to measure blood pressure at any time without removing clothing. Disadvantages - likelihood of distortion of results in case of random movement, low stability of results. Wrist models are often chosen by people with too large volume of biceps when it is not possible to use the cuff on the arm.
• Finger-fastening. The least common and most expensive devices. They are extremely simple to use, but there are big doubts about the accuracy of the measurements. In the area of the wrist and finger pressure may be different, due to different distances from the heart. Among the advantages - small size (the tonometer can be carried in your pocket), the fastest measurement in any place.

Now mainly automatic blood pressure monitors are popular. They are most suitable for home use, many of them measure pressure very accurately. Which company do you prefer? The following brands have gained the most popularity among users.

• Omron - a company from Japan "Omron" offers users the most modern models of tonometers including digital blood pressure monitor. Its equipment is supplied to different countries of the world, trusted by doctors. Their advantages include a large selection of models, compact size of devices, appropriate prices.
• Microlife - Microlife's own technologies include "PAD" technology (Pulse Arrhythmia Detection - for early detection of arrhythmias, i.e. irregular heartbeats), Gentle+ technology (for optimal control of speed and pressure), AFIB technology (stroke risk detection), MAM technology (automatically measures three consecutive values and averages them). The brand is distinguished by a variety of models, reasonable prices.
• Hartmann - German company provides high-quality tonometers. Among them you can find a wide variety of household models. The peculiarity of the German company's technology is the three-dimensional measurement of blood pressure values, innovative technologies, recognition of atrial fibrillation. All devices are of high quality.

Basic principles in the choice

Sometimes to choose the best model, it is enough to follow the general principles. For example, if you are buying a blood pressure monitor for a child, you need to look at the size of the cuff or buy it separately. Find the best possible option.

If the person for whom the tonometer is being purchased suffers from atherosclerosis or a violation of peripheral circulation, it is not recommended to use devices worn on the wrist. If we are talking about established violations of heart rhythm, it is necessary to give preference to models with an arrhythmia indicator. They will fix the irregular rhythm and display the corresponding icon on the screen. For people with a weak pulse, standard models often give erroneous values. In this case, it is better to choose more expensive but more reliable models with an intellectual logic system. The intelligent device independently selects the pressure reduction rate, giving the most accurate results.