Are Wrist BP Monitors Accurate?

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Are wrist BP monitors accurate is something that most of the people think about before buying one. Before knowing about its accuracy, you must have an idea of why do you need it.

Need of Measuring Blood Pressure

To measure your blood pressure at home and to maintain a record of the measurements can help you and your doctor to know how much your blood pressure can change during the day. Your doctor uses this record of measurements to see how well your medicine can work to control your high blood pressure. Also, regular measurement can be a good way to take part in managing your own health and recognizing changes.

Are Wrist BP Monitors Accurate?

Wrist blood pressure monitors are accurate if used exactly and as directed. As per the American Heart Association, it's good to use a home blood pressure monitor that measures blood pressure in your upper arm. Devices for the upper arm are easier to check for accuracy as compared to wrist monitors.

• Wrist blood pressure monitors can be very sensitive to body position. To get proper reading while taking blood pressure with a wrist monitor, your arm and wrist must be at heart level. Even then, it's thought that because of the variation in the width of the arteries in your forearm, and how deep the arteries are under your skin, blood pressure measurements taken at the wrist can be higher and less accurate than those taken at your upper arm.
• It's not rare for blood pressure readings taken at home on any kind of monitor to be different from those which are taken at your doctor's office. If you have a wrist blood pressure monitor, make sure that you take your monitor to a doctor's. Your doctor will check your blood pressure with standard upper arm monitor and a wrist monitor in the right position in the same arm to check your wrist blood pressure monitor's accuracy.
• The traditional way to measure the blood pressure is to use a cuff that goes on the upper arm. Wrist monitors have been introduced which are smaller and easier to use as compared to arm monitors. They have the advantage that the same cuff size can be used for fat and thin people, as the diameter of the wrist is affected little by obesity, as compared to the upper arm.

Knowing Monitor's Accuracy

When you buy a monitor, make sure you take the doctor's advice regarding its accuracy. At least once in a year, your monitor must be checked. Proper care and storage are also necessary. Confirm that tubing is not twisted when the monitor is stored. Make sure you keep it away from heat. Try to check the tubing periodically for cracks and leaks.

Talk to your doctor to teach you on using blood pressure monitor correctly. With proper use of it, both you and your doctor can get good results in controlling your blood pressure.

Wrist blood pressure monitors are easy to use, but some subject can result to inaccuracies from incorrect body positioning. While using a wrist blood pressure monitor, you should either lie flat or sit on a chair by resting your wrists and arms on the table (at the heart level) to take accurate blood pressure readings. Never hold back on this step if you want accurate reading.

The American Heart Association advises upper arm cuff monitors to monitor blood pressure at home as inaccuracies are common with wrist blood pressure monitors, due to inaccurate equipment and poor technique. If you use a wrist blood pressure monitor to check blood pressure at home, let your doctor verify the machine first by checking your blood pressure using a traditional sphygmomanometer and compare it to the reading that your machine gives.

Doctor's Comments

The research made shows that the Omron wrist monitor gives accurate measurements of blood pressure, even when it shows the readings that differ from the conventional mercury sphygmomanometer. The source of error with the wrist monitors is that it has to be at the level of the heart when the reading is taken which was not a problem with this research, as the patients were all lying flat when the readings were taken.