Blood Pressure Monitors

While the non-profit British Hypertension Society (BHS) does not test blood pressure monitors themselves, they provide lists of various types of monitors that have been tested by others using BHS or other… well accepted protocols. Only devices that have been tested and have achieved a grade of at least "B" for systolic and diastolic measurements are listed. Different types of blood pressure monitors for clinical and home use are listed, with arm and wrist monitors being described as suitable for home use. However, the BHS says that arm blood pressure monitors are recommended because they are less prone to errors. All of the monitors are available in the U.K., and many are also available in the U.S. One significant negative is that none of the blood pressure monitors get much in the way of discussion.

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This article in AccessWorld, which is produced by the American Foundation for the Blind, reviews eleven home blood pressure monitors for usability (for low vision individuals) as well as accuracy. Monitors… are evaluated on several criteria that are especially important for the visually impaired, including the display, controls (specifically are they easy to identify by touch), documentation and more. Among non-talking monitors, they recommend four: the Omron HEM-705CP-II and HEM-757-E, Microlife BP 3AA1-2 and A&D Medical LifeSource UA-787. If you want a monitor with speech output, the article recommends the A&D Medical LifeSource UA-767T; it is FDA approved, gets the highest accuracy ratings from the BHS and is "generally easy to use."

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This Internet retailer lets customers post opinions about products -- including blood pressure monitors -- after the sale. While the reports lack the precision and depth of professional reviews and medical… journal articles, they also lack their detachment and do a good job in describing the little nuances separating the many choices on the market. The user feedback here is especially useful when used in conjunction with the accuracy reports from the British Hypertension Society and elsewhere.

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The Wall Street Journal tests five blood pressure monitors under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Pickering, a hypertension specialist at Mt. Sinai Medical Center. Monitors are assessed against Dr. Pickering's… professional model. Two monitors tie for Best Overall: the A&D Medical LifeSource UA-787V (now UA-787EJ) and the Omron HEM-705-CP. Both are easy to use and inflate automatically. The Lumiscope 1092 Wrist Fuzzy Logic monitor also performs well. This article's age keeps it from ranking more highly.

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This article cites the importance of home blood pressure monitoring for patients with hypertension and those at risk for other health problems. A scientific committee representing the American Heart… Association, American Society of Hypertension and the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association cautions patients to use only monitors that have been validated for accuracy and reliability according to standard international testing protocols. The article does not recommend specific monitors but lists features patients should look for in a home blood pressure monitor.

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