Why do you need a Blood Pressure Monitor?

A sphygmomanometer, blood pressure meter, blood pressure monitor or blood pressure gauge is a device used to measure blood pressure, composed of an inflatable cuff to collapse and then release the artery under the cuff in a controlled manner, and a mercury or mechanical manometer to measure the pressure. It is always used in conjunction with a means to determine at what pressure blood flow is just starting, and at what pressure it is unimpeded. Manual sphygmomanometers are used in conjunction with a stethoscope.

A sphygmomanometer consists of an inflatable cuff, a measuring unit (the mercury manometer, or aneroid gauge), and a mechanism for inflation which may be a manually operated bulb and valve or a pump operated electrically.

Types of Sphygmomanometers:

Manual sphygmomanometers require a stethoscope for auscultation. They are used by trained practitioners. It is possible to obtain a basic reading through palpation alone, but this only yields the systolic pressure.

•          Mercury sphygmomanometers are considered the gold standard. They show blood pressure by affecting the height of a column of mercury, which does not require recalibration. Because of their accuracy, they are often used in clinical trials of drugs and in clinical evaluations of high-risk patients, including pregnant women.
•          Aneroid sphygmomanometers (mechanical types with a dial) are in common use; they may require calibration checks, unlike mercury manometers. Aneroid sphygmomanometers are considered safer than mercury sphygmomanometers, although inexpensive ones are less accurate. A major cause of departure from calibration is mechanical jarring. Aneroids mounted on walls or stands are not susceptible to this particular problem.

ANEROID SPHYGMOMANOMETERS

Digital or automatic blood pressure monitor, use oscillometric measurements and electronic calculations rather than auscultation. They may use manual or automatic inflation. These are electronic, are easy to operate without training, and can be used in noisy environments; they are not as accurate as mercury instruments. They measure systolic and diastolic pressures by oscillometric detection, using a piezoelectric pressure sensor and electronic components, including a microprocessor. They do not measure systolic and diastolic pressures directly, but calculate them from the mean pressure and empirical statistical oscillometric parameters. Calibration is also a concern for these instruments. Most instruments also display pulse rate. Digital oscillometric monitors are also confronted with several "special conditions" for which they are not designed to be used, such as arteriosclerosis, arrhythmia, preeclampsia, pulsus alternans, and pulsus paradoxus. People measuring blood pressure in patients with these conditions should use analog sphygmomanometers, because, when used by a trained person, they are more accurate than digital sphygmomanometers. Digital instruments may use a cuff placed, in order of accuracy and inverse order of portability and convenience, around the upper arm, the wrist, or a finger. The oscillometric method of detection used gives blood pressure readings that differ from those determined by auscultation, and vary according to many factors, such as pulse pressure, heart rate and arterial stiffness. Some instruments are claimed also to measure arterial stiffness. However such machines are not recommended for regular users, because machines that are claimed to have 3% accuracy rates are usually inaccurate to over 7%, and may give two different readings when checked at the same time. Some of these monitors also detect irregular heartbeats.

Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor for Arm

Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor for Wrist at Primo Medical Supplies

Blood Pressure Monitors in San Antonio

Operation of Blood Pressure Monitor:

In humans, the cuff is normally placed smoothly and snugly around an upper arm, at roughly the same vertical height as the heart while the subject is seated with the arm supported. Other sites of placement depend on species, it may include the flipper or tail. It is essential that the correct size of cuff is selected for the patient. Too small a cuff results in too high a pressure, while too large a cuff results in too low a pressure. For clinical measurements it is usual to measure and record both arms in the initial consultation to determine if the pressure is significantly higher in one arm than the other. A difference of 10 mm Hg may be a sign of coarctation of the aorta. If the arms read differently, the higher reading arm would be used for later readings. The cuff is inflated until the artery is completely occluded.

With a manual instrument, listening with a stethoscope to the brachial artery at the elbow, the examiner slowly releases the pressure in the cuff. As the pressure in the cuffs falls, a "whooshing" or pounding sound is heard (see Korotkoff sounds) when blood flow first starts again in the artery. The pressure at which this sound began is noted and recorded as the systolic blood pressure. The cuff pressure is further released until the sound can no longer be heard. This is recorded as the diastolic blood pressure. In noisy environments where auscultation is impossible (such as the scenes often encountered in emergency medicine), systolic blood pressure alone may be read by releasing the pressure until a radial pulse is palpated (felt). In veterinary medicine, auscultation is rarely of use, and palpation or visualization of pulse distal to the sphygmomanometer is used to detect systolic pressure.

Digital instruments use a cuff which may be placed, according to the instrument, around the upper arm, wrist, or a finger, in all cases elevated to the same height as the heart. They inflate the cuff and gradually reduce the pressure in the same way as a manual meter, and measure blood pressures by the oscillometric method.

Why is home monitoring important?

Charting provides a "time-lapse picture"

Your healthcare provider will want an accurate picture of the situation inside your arteries. One measurement taken at the doctor's office is like a snapshot. It tells what your blood pressure is at that moment. Since there are no symptoms for HBP and no way to sense fluctuations in blood pressure, measuring is the only way to get the facts. Readings can vary throughout the day and can be temporarily influenced by factors such as emotions, diet and medication. A record of readings taken over time can provide you and your healthcare provider a clearer picture of your blood pressure. It can be like a time-lapse picture or movie, providing information on what is happening with your blood pressure over time.

Home Monitoring is Important

Charting can help eliminate false readings

Some people experience anxiety when at a doctor's office, which leads to temporarily higher readings. This condition is known as "white-coat hypertension." At the other extreme, some individuals have normal readings in a professional's office but elevated readings outside the office. This condition is often referred to as "reverse white-coat hypertension" or "masked hypertension."

Note: Such false readings can lead to over-diagnosis or misdiagnosis of HBP. Self-measurement at home is good to reveal whether your blood pressure reading in the doctor's office is correct.

Who should home monitor?

Home monitoring may be especially useful for:

•          Patients starting HBP treatment to determine its effectiveness
•          Patients requiring closer monitoring than intermittent office visits provide, especially individuals with coronary heart disease, diabetes and/or kidney disease
•          Pregnant women since preeclampsia or pregnancy-induced hypertension can develop rapidly
•          People who have some high readings at the doctor's office, to rule out white-coat hypertension and confirm true HBP
•          Elderly patients, because the white-coat effect increases progressively with age
•          People suspected of having masked hypertension

Where to buy a blood pressure monitor or where can I buy a blood pressure monitor?

You can buy blood pressure monitor at Primo Medical Supplies a Medical Equipment Store located in San Antonio Texas. We are located at 7515 Grissom Rd Suite 107 San Antonio Texas 78251. You can also visit our website at www.sanantoniomedicalequipment.com. 

Your Medical Supply Store in San Antonio

For more information you can call the customer service at 210-519-5311.

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