Blood Pressure Machines Guide

How reliable is the Wrist Blood Pressure machine?

I need to buy a blood pressure machine, but have a very small amount I can spend on one. The wrist ones seem to be cheaper. If ya know, please send me a answer back on this, question.
thanks!

I’ve been using one for about a year, and it’s pretty accurate. It only slightly differs from the numbers at the doctor’s office. (Besides…if you take your blood pressure with the same cuff back to back, the numbers are never the same). I think it’s worth the savings.

My blood pressure reads high on the machines, but 2 doctors told me my blood pressure is normal. why?

They used the manual blood pressure thing where you have to squeeze a pump to do it. EDUCATED answers only please.

You don’t say, but I assume you were taking your blood pressure on an automatic blood pressure machine. They are notorious for losing their calibration, which leads to inaccurate readings. I would go with the manual readings done in your doctors’ office.

What you might do is take your cuff in to the doctors’ office and have it checked. I’m sure a nurse will be glad to do it for you without charge. If you have the manual, it probably has instructions for recalibrating the machine.

Are people more accurate than machines when taking blood pressure?

Yes. The machines we use can only do so much. If a pulse is hard to hear or it is irregular the machine may provide a false blood pressure. When we take it manually we can sometimes hear the pulse better.

Last week the machine I was using couldn’t get my patients blood pressure at all. When I went to take it manually I discovered an irregular pulse….long story short her heart had converted into an abnormal rhythm and she needed to be moved to a cardiac floor.

Blood Pressure?

I posted under woman’s health, but this was yahoo’s "recommended" category. But I added some stuff people asked from the other question.

I often take my blood pressure on the machines in groceries stores, I don’t know. I’ve just always done it since I was like 16, to see what it says. I’ve NEVER show even close to high blood pressure, but for the last 2 weeks its been pretty high (not in the little normal box). I know those things can be off so I don’t know if its something I should bother going to the doctor about. What would cause it to get so much higher? I haven’t changed my diet, except I eat more salad (a lot more) now. Cause I’m on a “diet”. But otherwise I still eat Special K or Cheerios for breakfast, salad, more salad and usually chicken or fish. I have been under a lot of stress lately, but I didn’t think that could really make your blood pressure get higher.
Additional Details
11 minutes ago

Well here is what I got on the machine.
Systolic/Diastolic/Heart Rate

Around what I was getting a month ago:
110/70/99

What I got this last week
130/77/107
125/73/98
134/80/92

What do you think? Should I worry, or just try to “fix” it myself. If you think its something I can do myself, what do you think I should try? If you have questions message me. Thanks!
3 minutes ago

I don’t have any history in my family for BP, the only thing that does run in my family is diabetes.
1 second ago

I drink diet coke & diet pepsi. Probably about 3 cans on a bad day. (What can I say, sometimes I need the extra energy boost).

Caffeine will raise your heart rate which may raise your BP. Your heart rate could be lower; it’s on the high side. If possible, you should sit at the machine for a few minutes before you take the BP so you’re more relaxed.

Do you exercise? That is as important as your diet when it comes to heart health. You need to be eating whole grains and fruits on your ‘diet’. Those will provide the vitamins and minerals that will keep your heart and muscles functioning best. Could you be slightly anemic? That will cause your heart rate to rise too.

You should try drinking more plain water to flush out your system. Watch your salt intake, which can increase blood pressure. If you’re eating more diet drinks and more salad dressing (even if it’s diet) you could be getting more salt.

I suggest you take the BP again a couple times. If the systolic is above 140 or the diastolic above 80, you might want to have a check up and see what the doc has to say.

I was just woundering what is the normal blood pressure range for a pregnant women.?

My doctor already think I may have preeclampsia. I will not know until Tuesday. How ever I bought a blood pressure machine and it said 158/87 and my pluse right was 113 beat per min. I am 20 years old and 27 weeks pregnant. Is this normal and shoul I be worried?
Yes i do have sudden weight gain, spots in my vision, swelling in my hands, face, and feet. I have not been tested for the protien in my urine and won’t be until Tuesday. I had to go to the ER Thursday because I was having contractions that when they told me I may have it.

That sounds high. Any women 30 points over her normal blood pressure while pregnant is considered to have high blood pressure, and this is serious in pregnancy! So, if it’s normally 120/70, and it goes up to 150/70 it’s too high. Blood pressure should not rise at all during pregnancy. I would take it very easy until you see the doc, and it sounds like you may have some bed rest in your future. Sorry and good luck!

Blood Pressure Machines in stores. why Left arm only?

is it better to take from left arm, my husband bought me a cool digital one from Omron and I have it now on my left arm but am left handed, I’m taking my readings at every turn now as my BP went to 210/110 (now at 180/110) from a nice 110/70 right after I married him! and my pulse has always been a steady 100 at rest to 125 if i walk around (i will not say how much from exercise as its scary…oh, ok it about 140 to 160, but its been this way my whole life and no dorctor has ever made note to me to lower it, so my question is, is 1 arm better than the other to read the rates?
thanks
and yes im on medication but thats another question in its self.

left arm is closer to the heart.

blood pressure?

My mum has a blood pressure machine to check her bloody pressure daily. It was recommended by her doctor.
Since she isn’t properly educated (but knows english), i want to know what SYSTOLIC and DIASTOLIC mean.

I want to know in good regular english with diagrams and pictures to help ( because i’m only 13).

thx!

Look at this -
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Hbp/HBP_WhatIs.html

What should my blood pressure be based on age/weight/height?

I was using my mums blood pressure machine and i apparently have low blood pressure therefore mothers gone all paranoid-health-guru-"your going to die" on me..

I was just wondering if there is an "online generator" for what your blood pressure is supposed to be for your age (they have one for working out your BMI…)

Im 17 and my height is about 5ft 4…

thankyou

Spot on as ever Rhianna, once you become an adult normal BP is ALWAYS 120/80. This is independent of age, height and weight (and thus BMI.).

For many years it was assumed that it was ‘normal’ for BP to rise with age and formulae such as systolic BP (the top figure), was 120+age in years were used, it was also suggested that it was only diastolic elevation, ( the bottom figure) that put patients at risk.

Though there is a tendency for BP to rise with age, this is always indicative of disease, also both systolic and diastolic elevation increase stroke and heart attack risks.

EDIT Unfortunately in this case gangadharan_nair is 100% incorrect. Though everyone is entitled to offer an opinion on Answers, those with no medical knowledge should perhaps avoid replies in areas where their ignorance is total as, on occasions, misleading answers may prove dangerous.

How do I use an omron blood pressure machine?

everytime i try, it doesn’t work.

If it doesnt work at all, you have to get it repaired. Usually the instruction manual is clear enough for a lay user.

Blood Pressure machine gave me three different readings…?

So I park my car at the local wal-mart and walk directly to the blood pressure machine. I sit down, press start and the first reading is 139/86. Then I immediately restart it and get a reading of 126/75. Then I immediately restart it again and get a third reading of 112/68.

Whats the deal? Which reading should I trust? Was my blood pressure elevated at first because I had walked from the parking lot to the machine?
taking the BP repeatedly in the same arm should have made the readings go up…not down.

Next time have your BP checked by a trained personal, and that the machine is properly caliberated.