Measuring Blood Pressure

rualexander
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by rualexander »

Are you ensuring your new wrist BP monitor is at the level of your heart when taking the measurement?
Even normal arm cuff monitors need to be used with the cuff (or the cubital fossa of the elbow to me more precise) at the level of your heart, or more accurately the right atrium of your heart.
Something that is virtually never done when measurements are done by healthcare professionals.
Errors of around +10mmHg can occur per 10cm variation in cuff height, a difference that can be for example between having your arm at your side and having your elbow at the level of your heart.
Wrist monitors are notoriously inaccurate anyway, although I guess if it's an approved one it shouldn't be too bad.
Jdsk
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by Jdsk »

rualexander wrote: 20 Jan 2022, 1:04amWrist monitors are notoriously inaccurate anyway, although I guess if it's an approved one it shouldn't be too bad.
These are both important points. But the recommended diagnostic pathway doesn't depend on single readings. In this case I'd expect the accuracy and precision of the device to be a small part of the total error budget. That's mostly because of the high within-individual biological variation.

Jonathan
axel_knutt
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by axel_knutt »

rualexander wrote: 20 Jan 2022, 1:04am Something that is virtually never done when measurements are done by healthcare professionals.
These are the instructions with my Omron monitor, the ones in bold are rarely observed by the NHS:

Not within 30 mins of food, hot drink, shower, exercise.
Relax 5 mins beforehand.
Cuff 1-2 cm above elbow crease, no tight clothing.
Hose on inside centre of left arm.
Hose aligned with pointy bone inside right arm.
Sit with back supported, arm in lap, feet flat, and cuff at heart height.
Keep still.


This is the difference position makes to my average BP:
BP Temp.png
BP Temp.png (8.78 KiB) Viewed 463 times
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Mick F
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by Mick F »

rualexander wrote: 20 Jan 2022, 1:04am Are you ensuring your new wrist BP monitor is at the level of your heart when taking the measurement?
Yep.
In accordance with the instructions. There'e even a reminder on the cuff.
IMG_0969.jpg

Nice and relaxed too.
Well, nice and relaxed for me! :wink:
Done my AM readings today - 161/98 and 141/91

Going back to my point regarding checking and reliability of the readings, yesterday afternoon, I did left vs right wrists alternating in less than three minutes start to finish. Just sitting there.

Left 133/89
Right 144/99
Left 150/99
Right 123/78
Left 151/97
Mick F. Cornwall
Ray
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by Ray »

But...

... isn't there an elephant in the room?
Ray
The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt - Bertrand Russell
thirdcrank
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by thirdcrank »

Ray wrote: 20 Jan 2022, 3:00pm But...

... isn't there an elephant in the room?
Did you mean "Elephant's trunk?"

Boum, boum!
Ray
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by Ray »

thirdcrank wrote: 20 Jan 2022, 3:04pm
Ray wrote: 20 Jan 2022, 3:00pm But...

... isn't there an elephant in the room?
Did you mean "Elephant's trunk?"

Boum, boum!
:lol:
Ray
The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt - Bertrand Russell
rualexander
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by rualexander »

axel_knutt wrote: 20 Jan 2022, 12:51pm
Sit with back supported, arm in lap, feet flat, and cuff at heart height.
I can't see how the cuff can be at heart height if sitting upright with arm in lap.
It's not physically possible.
Jdsk
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by Jdsk »

There's a very short description of the specified body position in the NICE guidance for diagnosis, cited above.

Jonathan
rualexander
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by rualexander »

Jdsk wrote: 20 Jan 2022, 3:52pm There's a very short description of the specified body position in the NICE guidance for diagnosis, cited above.

Jonathan
Yes, and it says "with the arm outstretched and supported".
I can't see how you can have your arm outstretched (at heart level) if you have your arm in your lap.
Jdsk
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by Jdsk »

rualexander wrote: 20 Jan 2022, 5:30pm
Jdsk wrote: 20 Jan 2022, 3:52pm There's a very short description of the specified body position in the NICE guidance for diagnosis, cited above.
Yes, and it says "with the arm outstretched and supported".
I can't see how you can have your arm outstretched (at heart level) if you have your arm in your lap.
I wasn't disagreeing!

: - )

Jonathan
DaveReading
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by DaveReading »

From the Omron M2 manual:
How to Sit Correctly When Taking a Measurement.jpg
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Mick F
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by Mick F »

I've always suffered from high BP.
Drinking ain't gonna help of course, but it's always been there on and off. Always varied too.
Probably genetic but Mum and Dad are long-since dead, so I'd need to use a clairvoyant to ask them. :lol:

Also, in recent months, my cycling miles have dropped off a cliff. I was doing 100miles a week, but now it's more like 10miles a week. Not turned a pedal since 5th Jan. Intended to go for a ride today, but it's iced over out there and damned cold even though the sun is shining.

As for positioning ...........
From my Kinetik wrist monitor.
IMG_0970.jpg
Mick F. Cornwall
thirdcrank
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by thirdcrank »

I'll mention again thinking about the risk of being over the drink/drive limit. I'm sure you wouldn't do that deliberately, but I fancy there might be the risk of doing so inadvertently through not recognising the real possibility of alcohol not clearing from your system as quickly as you assume. You seem to value measuring devices of various types and there now seem to be reliable breath testing gadgets available online.

I'm not suggesting such a gadget as a way of avoiding a positive police breath test, but using one regularly and logging your results should give you a good picture of your typical blood/alcohol level when you feel ok to drive.

You may feel that as well as never being over the limit when driving, your chances of being breath tested are nil. I think quite a few breath tests are the result of somebody "reporting their suspicions to the police."

A drink/drive conviction would end the driving career of somebody "our age." I do know you are younger than I am, but a 10 year endorsement lasts a long time, apart from any other complications. This is well-meant.
Jdsk
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Re: Measuring Blood Pressure

Post by Jdsk »

thirdcrank wrote: 21 Jan 2022, 11:28am I'll mention again thinking about the risk of being over the drink/drive limit.
This is good advice.

Jonathan
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