Automatic or Manual
An automatic blood pressure machine comprises a wrist or an upper arm cuff and a digital display. During readings, the cuff is automatically inflated by the machine and the BP reading is displayed on the digital display. This mechanism makes it easy for anyone to take readings on their own without any special skills. Automatic home BP machines are also compact and portable.
In contrast, a manual blood pressure machine has an upper arm cuff, an aneroid gauge, a pumping bulb, and a stethoscope. To take a reading, a patient would have to manually inflate the cuff, listen to the heart rate on the stethoscope, and watch the gauge for the BP readings. As such, a manual BP monitor would be unsuitable for a blind or a deaf patient. Further, the complexity of the reading process leaves room for error and can be difficult for one person to handle without assistance.
Upper Arm Cuff or Wrist Cuff
It is recommended that a blood pressure machine cuff is placed at the same level as the heart during readings. An upper arm cuff makes it easy to implement this as it is placed right above the elbow. It is, however, important that the cuff fits comfortably around the upper arm; a loose or overly tight fit would give inaccurate readings. Some patients may also have a hard time maneuvering the cuff to their upper arm.
A wrist blood pressure cuff is worn around the same position where you would wear a wristwatch. According to medical research, readings taken from the wrist can have inaccuracies as it is harder to maintain the wrist at heart height. Nevertheless, a BP machine with a wrist cuff may be a good alternative for anyone that is not able to wear an upper arm cuff due to size or other challenges.
Data Cloud Storage
A blood pressure monitoring machine can have an internal memory but that would only be able to store limited data sets. In a home BP monitor, this would limit the device to one user or two users that can only store short-term data. Whereas in a BP monitor for hospital use, insufficient storage would make record-keeping difficult. Data cloud storage solves this problem by providing sufficient space to store larger amounts of blood pressure readings of multiple users.
Blood pressure monitors with data cloud storage enable patients to transfer their BP readings data to the cloud via wifi. Such monitors would be ideal if you would like to share your BP machine with other members of your household or share BP data with your doctor via a BP app. They would also be suitable for hospitals looking to ease their patient data management.
Special Techniques
Blood pressure monitor manufacturers design their BP monitors with unique operating mechanisms. One of the most common ones is the single balloon system. It is effective but only takes readings from one or two pulse points which may not show the true state of a patient’s blood pressure. Such inaccuracies may seem negligible but they greatly influence important patient care issues like medicine prescriptions.
On the other hand, Raycome blood pressure machines operate using patented Pulsewave technology with dual balloons. During readings, one balloon inflates the cuff while the other measures pressure pulses. Unlike single balloon BP monitors, Pulsewave technology takes readings at different pressure points between pulses and gives their average as the final reading. This is a more accurate figure that gives truer reading than a single-point measurement.
Who Needs a Blood Pressure Machine
Blood pressure conditions are chronic and require long-term monitoring. Therefore, a home blood pressure machine is essential for anyone that has been diagnosed with hypertension or hypotension. More so because the symptoms of a hypo or hypertensive crisis can easily be mistaken for malaise yet such episodes are life-threatening. Getting an accurate daily reading could help you monitor your progress and know when to seek help.
Patients that suffer from emotional anxiety or white coat syndrome would also get better readings at home when they are calmer than at the hospital. Additionally, persons with disabilities may have an easier time monitoring their blood pressure from home as hospital visits can be overly exerting. They can equally share their readings with their doctors and benefit from remote care. Where price is a constraint, consider buying from a wholesale blood pressure monitors supplier as they may offer pocket-friendly rates.
