Quick Question About Bp Monitors

[houswoea]

Hello again! Hope everyone is doing okay!

So, I'm a bit confused. This has been a bit of an off-week in comparison with how I've been feeling lately, so I decided to break out the blood pressure monitor just to check it out.

Usually, I can get a good reading while I'm standing but every time I try to take it today it's giving me the E (error)sign. It's fine when I lay down, but it won't take it standing up.

I figure since I'm still functioning and conscious (although I did pass out hardcore earlier this week) that it can't be anything I should worry about.

So I'm wondering... what does it mean? That my BP is too low to be detected? Or just that I'm not supposed to do that? I'm trying to decide if I want some IV saline or if I want to wait it out.

Thanks as always! You're all so great!

[corina]

can't really help you as i've had that too lots of times lately. not sure what's causing the ee's. anyone else? i thought the monitor needed new batteries so i put in new ones but got the ee's again

[Chaos]

I have both an electronic monitor and a manual cuff. When I can't get a BP standing with the electronic one, I frequently find that my pulse pressure is low when I take it with the manual cuff. (pulse pressure being the difference between the upper and lower numbers) My electronic one won't read my pressure when the two numbers are too close together (e.g. 96/84) I heard somewhere that there should be a 25% difference at least between systolic and diastolic. I'm wondering if my electronic monitor won't accept it when it gets less than that.

According to my doc, narrow pulse pressures are a "hallmark" symptom of POTS.

[potsgirl]

I have orthostatic hypotension and that happens to me quite frequently, too. I've even had it happen in the doctor's office, so I'm not sure what the answer is. My presumption is that my BP is too low or it's skipping too much and the machine just "errors" out. Sometimes when I'm standing my BP can be funky, jumping from 84...76..75..72. Usually that will error it out. My doctor also thinks it's probably those two issues that can make a BP/HR machine do that.

Cheers,

Jana

[shoegal]

I always error, but never heard of IV saline helping that?

make sure the cuff is tight enough, I have a small arm and if it's loose it never works

[Sallysblooms]

POTS can have high or low bp. That is not what defines it. The Error happens high and low for me. Thankfully my bp is coming down now after several years of high bp.

[arizona girl]

My cuff errors, when I am fluctuating. Mine swings with posture change. If I take it to quick after changing positions it errors. Especially on bad days. So, I wait a bit and take it again, and I'll get a reading with out the error.

[lissy]

I think it depends on the position of your wrist or arm its suppose to be elevated and at a certain level not just hanging down...I've had an error reading many times and repositioned and then it took.

Lissy

[lizababy]

Mine does this too alot, Jana!

My doctor has new residents every month. I learned from last month's resident that a hallmark sign of OH is a "choppy pulse." They have a hard time feeling your pulse as though it is going in and out all of the time? My guess is that it has to do with low blood flow (please do not quote me). However, I know that it does cause my monitor to error out a lot when standing. I have even had nurse's unable to do a manual reading of my bp :-)