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BP Monitor recommendations


DebX

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I want to start keeping better logs of my BP pressure. Right now I have an Omron BP786N from 2016 and I want to get something that's easier to sync with my phone and/or computer. It syncs but it's kludgy.

Something I would really like is the ability to attach additional information to a reading - such as whether I was sitting or standing, which arm, and anything else that might be significant.  Does anyone know of a device (or phone software) where you can do this?

Another problem with the device I have now is that I just get error codes when my blood pressure falls below a certain level. The lowest systolic reading I ever get is 85, but that's not low enough. Are any machines better than others at low values?

I'd appreciate any recommendations.

 

Deborah

UPDATE: After reading a lot of consumer reviews on various machines I was tempted to delete this, because I can see that I was hoping to find doesn't exist, and all of the devices seem to have a lot of dissatisfied users.  Still, I'd appreciate hearing anything people have to say about the monitors they've used.

 

 

 

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Hi Deborah. 

I just ordered a new BP machine today. It hasn't arrived yet but I'll let you know when it does, and how I find it.

It's the Omron Smart Elite HEM7600T — a wireless BP cuff which syncs automatically with your smartphone, all you need to do is download the app. It's on the pricier side, but it comes with a 5 year warranty and also had amazing reviews from what I researched. 

I'm not sure if it allows you to add notes in the app it comes with, however. I will let you know once I use it early this week. Should be here Monday or Tuesday. 

Also, I know there are other free BP apps where you can input your readings and it correlates all your data, making a spreadsheet which shows you percentages of when your BP is low, high, etc. The one I presently use is very helpful. (The app I use is called "BloodPressure"). Makes it simple, too, for us to show our specialists, what our BP is up to! 

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  • 1 month later...

Hope the new cuff is working out for you!

I have a new wrist cuff -- Braun iCheck 7 -- with Bluetooth so it captures readings automatically. 

But I'm afraid I must give it a mixed review:

The bad: 

* The company's HealthyHeart app does not allow me to add notes:  I can't say whether I had been resting or active; was recumbent, sitting, standing; experiencing any symptoms.

* The cuff is slow to start up. I don't need to watch the company name, the tumbling graphics, and my name scrolling across the screen before it lets me take a reading. I'd rather be able to just get a reading now, thanks.

* I suspect the range of BP values it will measure is not as wide as some. I keep getting ERROR 2, which the app tells me means "out of range". I haven't been able to find out yet what the range is, but the cuff hasn't given me a diastolic reading below 40, so I suspect that might be the cutoff. 

(My old cuff's range was 30 to 300 -- and if one value was out of range, it would give me the others, so a particularly miserable day might include a reading of 55/LO 130, or one of HI/270 45, or both. Glad to be doing better now.)

* The display on the cuff itself is rather small, so it might not be good for someone with a visual impairment. 

* The red, yellow, green color-coding of readings doesn't acknowledge that lower isn't always better.  When I was at 62/53 the other day, with a HR of 54 (irregular), I did NOT appreciate the "green is good" glowing heart off to the side.

* The hard shell of the cuff has raised lips on each side, which help hide the minor unevenness over the sensors and inflation device.  During use, these narrow wedge-shaped edges press  into the skin. That's not comfortable, it leaves marks that persist for some time afterward, and I can't think it improves readings. 

 

The good:

* The fabric against the skin is smooth and non-irritating.

* The automatic transcription of readings makes for a lot less work -- and a lot more credibility at the doctor's office. 

* The app does allow export of data. Yay! 

* The readings seem accurate. They match other readings, symptoms, pulse strength. 

* It stores up to 100 readings in the cuff itself, and transmits them when it finally synchs with the paired smartphone. So, I can use the cuff when the phone is in another room, and I can leave the phone's Bluetooth off most of the time to preserve battery life.

* Braun is one of the big names that physicians trust. It's known for good products, and therefore is more likely to a) yield good data and b) be believed.

 

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