Blood Pressure Monitor Review

Types of blood pressure monitors

When evaluating home blood pressure monitors, it is important to consider both usability and accuracy. Considering the latter, the British Hypertension Society (BHS) produces internationally renowned guidelines for the management of hypertension. The BHS maintains lists of blood pressure monitors that have been tested using BHS protocols and have achieved a "passing grade" of B or better. We also found good comparative articles in a wide range of consumer publications and professional and medical journals. These include Australia's Choice magazine, London's Daily Mail newspaper, The Wall Street Journal, The American Journal of Hypertension and others. Consumer Reports tests and rates 16 blood pressure monitors in the most recent report we found.

Electronic/digital blood pressure monitors for home use are either semiautomatic manual inflation (you squeeze the bulb to inflate the cuff) or automatic inflation. Automatic monitors have everything contained in one unit, so they're easier to handle than systems with a separate gauge and stethoscope. Most home blood pressure monitors are very portable and have a D-ring cuff for one-handed application. The cuff may fit around the wrist or arm. More expensive monitors have automatic inflation and deflation systems, along with large, easy-to-read digital displays and error indicators, reading printouts and built-in pulse (heart rate) measurement.

Most home blood pressure monitors measure either at the upper arm or wrist, though a few are also finger models. Experts such as the BHS claim that those that measure pressure at the upper arm are best, as there is too great a chance for error when blood pressure is measured elsewhere. However, some users say that putting on an upper arm cuff can be difficult -- so much so that the act itself raises blood pressure. In addition, an article published in March 2000 in the American Journal of Hypertension evaluates 12 popular at-home electronic monitors and finds only minor differences between them. It reports that the wrist and finger models performed well when used precisely according to the manufacturers' directions. We've also seen good user reports about some -- but not all -- blood pressure monitors that measure at the wrist. In the end, we couldn't find an overriding argument for or against wrist blood pressure monitors over arm-cuff monitors, so it may come down to what you're most comfortable using. We found good reviews for both types.

Most reports say that fingertip blood pressure monitors do not give accurate readings, and should probably be avoided until the technology improves.