Lower-High Blood Pressure

1. 

   JanSobieski
   March 5th, 2010 - 07:04

   Outstanding quality, consistency and accuracy! At the end of the day that is all you can ask from a blood pressure cuff (sphygmomanometer). A few things to bear in mind: In consecutive readings done at the same time, you will see a trend from higher to lower blood pressure as you “learn” to lower your own pressure. Also, your blood pressure at home will be lower than that you obtain at your doctor’s office until you learn to overcome the anxiety normally associated with the doctor’s office. This is normal and is one of the main reasons to obtain a home blood pressure monitor. Also, your pressure will fluctuate from day to day and even during a blood pressure monitoring session.

   Let me give you an example: My heart rate is anywhere from 52 to 58. As the blood pressure cuff deflates your systolic pressure is the first pulse that the unit detects. The cuff pressure deflates 5-10 mm between each heart beat. So, depending on the timing of your pulse, your pressure reading will fluctuate approximately 5-10 mm systolic and diastolic. When your pressure is taken manually the operator can regulate the rate of deflation of the cuff so as to reduce the measurement error. So don’t automatically assume that the gauge is not giving accurate readings! Trust me, it is.

   This monitor has been extensively tested against measurements obtained at the doctor’s office and has been determined to be as accurate a method of determining blood pressure as you would obtain at the doctor’s office – actually, more accurate since the anxiety factor is eliminated.

   For some reason, when I purchased this item, it was cheaper than the Omron HEM-780, so purchasing it was a no brainer! I saved $5. Is it worth a little more than the HEM-780? It does have a few more bells and whistles including the software. But it is essentially the same unit. If you think you’d use the software which is kind of slick then by all means get this unit rather than the 780. Personally, I would definitely pay MORE, now that I have it and have used it, for this unit. The software if very helpful in keeping your BP records. Otherwise, the units are nearly identical in producing consistent accurate results.

   So if you are looking for the best home blood monitor device on the market look no further. Just realize that there are minor variances in the readings attributable to fluctuations in your blood pressure and slight measurement error. I would also recommend the unit with the software – this can come in very handy in tracking your BP and its fluctuations. It also can provide you with a printed record of your readings for your doctor.

   I heartily endorse this product.
   Rating: 5 / 5
2. 

   The Red Wine Palate
   March 5th, 2010 - 07:40

   OK, I got this cuff because I have a VERY picky physician. I haven’t been tracking my BP too well and was read the “riot act” in order to have me go and get a cuff. Well, he said that, no matter which cuff I got, HE would have to check it for accuracy, and that he rejects over half of all the cuffs he sees. BTW, don’t even think about getting a finger or wrist cuff. He rejects most all of them for inaccuracies of some sort. He also wanted me to email him my readings every month and he would call me in if he saw a problem trend. So I got this unit because it allows me to just download the readings and I could paste them into an email and everyone would be happy. And I got it from Amazon because they have an iron-clad return policy, just in case I needed to exercise it. Well, the day came that I sent in my first batch of readings and went in to have the unit (and me) checked. My doctor gave my cuff perfect marks. Its reading was within a couple points (dia/sys/pulse) of his personal reading taken a minute apart. He was also impressed with its trending features and alerts. He even wrote down the brand/model to pass on to other patients as the “doctor recommended” model of BP cuff.
   
   After all that, you may want to know how well the unit operates. Well, I don’t use the power adapter at all. Don’t even know why they include one. It’s been running strong on batteries since the day I got it (3 readings a day for 6 weeks now). When these batteries finally die, I’m glong to put in Li-Ions and see just how long they last. The cuff goes on easily and auto-inflates/deflates quickly without sacrificing accuracy. Once a week, I plug the base unit into a USB port on my computer and DL the data into the included “management” program. Overall, a pretty good program that slices/dices the data and displays it based on various criteria. I’m just scratching my head why it supports up to 1000 users, but OK. Except for the initial programming of the time/date/etc., I did ALL this without cracking the manual. I’m happy, my doctor’s happy, nuff said.
   Rating: 5 / 5
3. 

   PajamaGuy
   March 5th, 2010 - 10:15

   I like it – it works. The software keeps track – but the software needs work.
   
   I wrote to the company – there are several issues:
   
   1. There’s no way to edit the data. With two users it’s easy to not have the right one selected when you take a reading. After uploading, the only way to edit the data is to export to Excel, edit, erase the database and then import the corrected data.
   
   2. It’s stored in an Access database, but it’s password protected – why?
   
   3. The user cannot direct where the database is kept, it’s in the Programs folder on the OS drive.

   The device works great, but the software…
   
   Rating: 4 / 5
4. 

   TADO
   March 5th, 2010 - 10:43

   The hardware works great, but the management software needs improvement.

   1. The window can not maximize to fit the screen.
   
   2. The printing of graphs includes menus and other non-essential items. It should maximize the graph.
   
   3. The printing of the data list does not allow to print the entire data, unless the data is exported to EXCEL.
   
   4. The software can not display arbitrary intervals,i.e., the end of a month to the next month, a two week interval, etc.
   
   5. The software should be able to graph the statistical trend lines.
   
   6. The software should be able to graph the week-to-week comparizon.

   There are many more suggestions, but I can do what I want to do with data in EXCEL. Therefore, it is not a problem for me.
   Rating: 4 / 5
5. 

   Stephen Bang
   March 5th, 2010 - 11:16

   Accuracy. My wife is a health care professional, and I am a software engineer. We own a HEM-790IT which we both use, and my wife has an Omron HJ-720IT pedometer, which she uses. Today we both took our BP using the Omron, then took it manually. The systolic was 4 low on the Omron, and the diastolic was 10 low on the Omron. We used the TruRead Mode, which takes three consecutive readings. We have found that this is more accurate than Single Mode. I would like to have it more accurate, but I find that all BP machines have some error, compared to manual reading, and this error is not too bad. At least it is consistent in reading low by the same amount.

   Software. I generally agree with the criticisms of other reviewers, about the software, but they are minor in nature, and I found the software to be reasonably adequate, and most people will enjoy using it. I installed the software on a Vista computer with no problems – use the install instructions for Windows XP. I agree with PajamaGuy – the data is kept in an Access database, which is password protected, and I am not given the password or any option to not have it password protected. I would like to be able to fix errors, such as when my wife or I take our BP with the wrong user selected. Most users will not want to use the Access database, so this will not matter to them.

   The cuff is very easy to put on your arm, without any help.
   
   Rating: 5 / 5

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