Buyers Guide to the Best Blood Pressure Monitor

Amazon.com sells more than 1,500 blood pressure products. Not all are monitors, and some monitors come in dozens of varieties, each with a separate Amazon listing. But still, hundreds of home monitors are on the market. Where do you start?

Here are a few tips:

Are they accurate?

It is generally agreed that the accuracy of home monitors has improved vastly over the years, making them comparable to professional units. Various studies have confirmed this. In addition, monitoring at home can reduce or eliminate “white coat hypertension” – inflated readings due to tension felt in a medical clinic - essentially making them sometimes more accurate.

Any other reasons to monitor at home?

The British Medical Journal in July 2004 reported an interesting survey which found that patients who monitored at home had “greater reductions in blood pressure measurements and were more likely to achieve their target blood pressure than people who relied on office-based monitoring.” It seems clear that patients like to be involved in monitoring their own health.

What kind of monitors are available?

The most popular are automatic inflation upper arm electronic monitors, which combine convenience with accuracy. Typical is Amazon’s top-selling monitor, the Omron HEM-780. Its list price is around $130, though you can find it for $70 to $90 at Amazon and other online outlets. (Omron is said to account for more than 60% of the home blood pressure monitors sold in the US.)

It is also possible to buy cheaper “semi-automatic” models, that require you to inflate the cuff yourself, but which then give an automatic reading. These do not have the convenience of automatic models, and because of inconsistencies by some users in inflating the cuff, the results can be unreliable.

Finger and wrist units are rapidly growing in popularity. They are easy to use and are convenient for people who have difficulty placing a cuff on the upper arm. But some doctors have cautioned that they lack the accuracy of the upper arm units. A best-selling wrist unit is the Mark of Fitness MF-81.

Which are best?

Unfortunately, it’s not easy to find informed and truly objective reviews online of healthcare products. Consumer Reports in June 2003 reviewed blood pressure monitors, but the results are only available to subscribers, and in any case new and improved models continue to appear. For the record, Consumer Reports said that the Omron HEM-711 and HEM-712 models were best. It also recommended the ReliOn HEM-741 and the Lifesource UA-767V.

A report in US Pharmacist journal in July 2004 included a table of selected devices, from Omron, LifeSource/A&D Medical, Mark of Fitness, Panasonic, Lumiscope and Samsung. The British Hypertension Society provides a list of recommended devices. Online sales sites like Amazon.com and Epinions incorporate user reviews for their products.

Tell me more…

Check my resources page for a small list of links. And see also the Personal Health Monitor Blog.