Blood pressure machines....

[Nan]

Hey all.........I am about ready to start looking for a blood pressure machine......any advice??? on models or best place to get them?  Thanks

[glitter]

I first bought a digital one from the local med supply store-and quickly discovered they are not super accurate. Then I bought the regular manual one with a stethascope,which was 1/3 of the price.It is surprisingly easy to learn to use,it comes with basic directions.

[Rerun]

I have a wrist digital one.  I love it.  I wear it during dialysis too.  If I feel light headed I can check my own blood pressure and not have to wait for the stupid machine to take it, or try and find someone.  If my BP is low then I can holler at someone.  I also like the fact that I have it at home too.  Same BP cuff all the time.  I do calibrate it once in a while with the dialysis center's. 

Mine is a Panasonic.  It was $70 at Fry's Electronic two years ago.

[angieskidney]

I have an Aneroid Sphygmomanometer and a Stethoscope (manual set) as I learned when I was 9 how to take my own blood pressure. It really is not that hard. You wrap the cuff on your arm and put the Stethoscope under the cuff where the marker is which is where the pulse can be found in your inner elbow. Pump it up to 200 (I have pumped mine up to 250 before though when I used to have very high BP) and then turn the knob to release the air ever so slightly and watch the numbers on the dial as it decreases. When it starts bouncing and you HEAR the pulse (and you can feel the pulse) you remember that as the top number and then when the hand on the dial stops bouncing and you stop hearing the pulse (and feeling the pulse) in the arm that is the bottom number.

I know .. my directions probably really suck but maybe someone SHOULD put directions for a manual one just in case as usually the digital ones aren't so accurate.

I FOUND IT!! Here are directions! http://nursing.about.com/od/assessmentskills/ht/bloodpressure.htm

Blood pressure measures the force applied against the walls of the arteries (see graphic) as blood is being pumped throughout the body. It is constantly changing as your activity, posture, emotional and physical state change. Other factors influence blood pressure such as temperature, diet, and medications.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: 5 minutes
Here's How:
1. Ask your patient to sit comfortably and relax.
2. Wash your hands.
3. Push the patient's sleeve up and wrap your deflated blood pressure cuff around the arm just above his elbow. Center the cuff bladder over the brachial artery and position the gauge so you can easily read it. Leave enough room to slide two fingers in between the arm and the cuff.
4. Extend the arm and support it at heart level. Palpate for a brachial pulse over the brachial artery in the crook of the elbow.
5. Insert your stethoscope earpieces into your ears and place the bell (or diaphragm) over the place you felt the brachial pulse.
6. Close the bulb's thumbscrew by turning counter clockwise. Listen to the brachial pulse as you pump air into the cuff and rapidly inflate to 10mmHg above where you hear the last sound.
7. Slowly open the thumbscrew on the bulb and allow 5mmHg/sec to drop.Watch the gauge and listen as the cuff deflates. The sound you hear is known as Karotkoff's sound.
8. Mentally note the pressure on the gauge when you hear the first clear sound. (This is the systolic pressure.)
9. Continue Listening as the cuff deflates, and when you can no longer hear the Karotkoff sounds, record this number as the diastolic pressure.
10. Then rapidly deflate the cuff. Wait 1 minute if you need to repeat your measurement to confirm.
11. Write down your findings. Wash your hands.
12. The systolic pressure represents the maximum pressure in the arteries as the heart contracts. The diastolic pressure represents the pressure in the arteries when the heart is at rest.
13. Optimal blood pressure is considered less than 120 systolic and less than 80 diastolic. High blood pressure is considered to be anything over 140 or 80.

Tips:
1. Never take a blood pressure in an arm with an IV line in place, a dialysis or other fistula or shunt, or on the same side as a mastectomy.
2. Wait at least one minute before repeating a measurement.

What You Need:

• Stethoscope
• Sphygmomanometer

These are mine (manual one as I described here) and I also have a digital one I bought at the local Drug Store:

I have a wrist digital one. I love it. I wear it during dialysis too. If I feel light headed I can check my own blood pressure and not have to wait for the stupid machine to take it, or try and find someone. If my BP is low then I can holler at someone. I also like the fact that I have it at home too. Same BP cuff all the time. I do calibrate it once in a while with the dialysis center's.

Mine is a Panasonic. It was $70 at Fry's Electronic two years ago.

I was looking at one for Pulse (they only had that or the ones for distance walking) and it was $50 Cdn. But I wanted one that would do BP and Pulse. I think that would be a GREAT investment! 



Here is a Step by Step guide to those Digital BP Machines: http://alzheimers.about.com/od/treatmentoptions/ss/blood_pressure.htm

[Epoman]

Here is the one I use: http://www.andmedical.com/and_med.nsf/html/UA-767Plus See picture below. Here are the specs:



 - Clinically validated for accuracy
 - One button operation
 - 30 reading memory
 - Irregular Heartbeat feature
 - Large digital display
 - Fast measurement
 - Latex free
 - Comes with or without AC Adapter

You can buy it HERE for $89.99 - http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100979&navAction=jump&navCount=0&id=prod1557215

Or buy it from Overstock.com on sale for $59.95 - http://www.overstock.com/?page=proframe&prod_id=%201423602&cid=93896&fp=F This price INCLUDES the AC adaptor, which I highly recommend.

(Over time these links will expire and no longer be valid, if they are simply google "Life Source BP monitor best price" and get updated links.

It is worth it, because it is an excellent BP machine, it gets wonderful reviews and is very accurate. I actually got mine from "Frys" for $49.99 on sale with the AC adaptor.

- Epoman
Owner/Admin

[Panda_9]

You could try asking your neph to reccommend a brand? Mine gave me a form to buy one for half price.

[jbeany]

I bought a lovely, expensive one back when I was still working on lowering my bp.  I took my pressure, and left it sitting on the bed for a minute while I finished getting dressed.  By the time I was finished, so was the bp monitor.  My cat areated the hose with her teeth while my back was turned. 

I replaced it with a Walmart-brand Reli-on manual inflate digital cheapie.  It's worked just fine.  I've compared it's results to the doc's office, and it registers nearly the same results as the doc's every time. 

This one gets put back in the box as soon I'm finished, though!

[anja]

Hello, Nan, my B/P cuff was supplied to me from Baxter through my dialysis nurse's first order placed for me, along with the IV pole and weight scales.  It is also a LifeSource and very accurate.