Blood Pressure

[MAYO]

How do you guys check BP? I don't fit into the drugstore consoles...my FUPA gets in the way. Any recs on a good home unit that will fit my morbidly obese arms? Thanks.

M

 

[NDLessPSYcle]

How do you guys check BP? I don't fit into the drugstore consoles...my FUPA gets in the way. Any recs on a good home unit that will fit my morbidly obese arms? Thanks.

M

I purchased a “lotfancy” off of Amazon. Works great.

 

[rawdeal]

Been thinking about getting a home gizmo too, worried about a cuff fitting my arm. This thread got me going to Amazon, no sweat, different companies offer L and XL cuffs and give sizes in inches.

BUT, customer reviews of different products complained (sometimes) about accuracy vs. what the doctors' old fashioned readings were, the ones where a person pumps it up and then listens. Anyone else here heard or experienced that?

(and I'm not including the ones that measure down by the wrist or a finger that are said to be way inferior to the upper arm)

 

[MAYO]

I bought a wrist type today; Omron 7. Going to take a couple readings with it and see what I think. Also may see if a nurse pal can do a side by side of the traditional arm cuff and sphygmo VS this contraption.

 

[MAYO]

I guess that I should also clarify that I'm not looking for single digit accuracy. Just +/- 5% reading.

 

[rawdeal]

Yeah, with any of us, and any version of a DIY gizmo we choose, I bet we all could accept a certain difference between us and a nurse . . . just so it's consistent and predictable. If we accept the nurse's numbers are exactly right, and that she always reads about +10/+10 over whatever our contraption says, then we can do the math and decide if we like what we see at home on any given day or not.

I've seen consistent comment in mainstream media type advice that wrist readings are not as good as upper arm readings, but I don't know if the complaint is about the numbers being too different or too inconsistent. Guess the same principle exists, if you can compare your wrist device with your friendly nurse, then you can go from there.

Other alternative might be to buy a professional type cuff and sphygmo and stethoscope from a med supply house, dunno. There's never a @MikeRN around when I need one.

 

[MAYO]

Other alternative might be to buy a professional type cuff and sphygmo and stethoscope from a med supply house, dunno. There's never a @MikeRN around when I need one.

IDK..... @Mike_RN Is the only nurse that insists that a finger in the butt is part of taking BP.

 

[rawdeal]

you forgot FD. He told me he was a nurse, and that I could ask a lot of people here for references.

 

[Lizard King]

Forearm works pretty well in the drugstore machines, it's about all I can get in there and it's pretty close to accurate.

 

[MAYO]

Forearm works pretty well in the drugstore machines, it's about all I can get in there and it's pretty close to accurate.

I guess I could stick my thigh in there since I only have 16" quads...

 

[Mike_RN]

Wrist cuffs suck (very inconsistent). If you buy the arm cuff make sure it’s XL-XXL. Calf and forearm will work in a pinch (either is better than wrist)

 

[MAYO]

Wrist cuffs suck (very inconsistent). If you buy the arm cuff make sure it’s XL-XXL. Calf and forearm will work in a pinch (either is better than wrist)

Thank you. I took a reading with the Omron 7 every 2 minutes for 10 minutes and they ranged from all good to cardiac crisis. I think that the radial artery is nestled so tightly in the surrounding anatomical structures that any change in the placement of the cuff from reading to reading greatly distorts the result.