"Nearly one in three adults has high blood pressure." - The American Heart Association
Blood Pressure Monitors
Measuring your blood pressure with a blood pressure monitor is the only way to tell whether it's normal, borderline, or high. If you have hypertension or prehypertension, blood pressure monitors are helpful for keeping track of your readings on a regular basis -- for yourself and for your doctor. Some of the digital models run on batteries and can store readings in memory and print them out.
There are four main types of blood pressure monitors (also known as sphygmomanometers): automatic arm monitors, manual arm monitors, wrist monitors, and finger monitors.
Monitors that read blood pressure automatically, and the manual types with a bulb and stethoscope, are considered to be the most accurate, compared to wrist and finger monitors.
Most of us are familiar with arm monitors, which have a cuff that wraps around the upper arm. The cuff inflates, squeezing the arm. A few seconds later, the cuff deflates and a reading appears on the display. Wrist monitors have the display attached to the band and also inflate automatically, as do finger monitors.
To ensure your monitor is accurate, have your doctor test it.
Those which contain mercury are considered more reliable, though the potential for mercury contamination due to breakage has become a concern. Some mercury-free models have dials that must be recalibrated every 6 months or so.
Omron
Automatic Digital Blood Pressure Monitors
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Manual Blood Pressure Monitors
Wrist Blood Pressure Monitors
Monitor Accessories - Blood Pressure Cuffs
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