By Dr. Wale Okediran
I use home Blood Pressure Machine to check my Blood Pressure. I want to know if this is a reliable way of monitoring my Blood Pressure?
Aminat (by SMS)
Although home Blood Pressure Machines (BPM) are most of the time reliable, they must be used correctly in order to record Blood Pressure accurately. For example, the right cuff that is large enough to cover your upper arm must be selected. In addition, you should avoid eating, smoking and exercising for at least 30 minutes before taking a measurement. When you do the measurement, you need to sit quietly for five minutes with your back supported and feet on the floor. When making the measurement, support your arm so your elbow is at the level of your heart. However, even you do all the things right, you still have a chance to get the inaccurate numbers. In addition, wrist BPM is more inclined to be inaccurate than the upper arm BPM because the blood vessel on the wrist is more away from the heart than the upper arm. This is why the traditional manual Blood Pressure Monitors including mercury BP machines and Aneroid Sphygmomanometers used by medical professionals are still recognized as the standard of non-invasive blood pressure measurement. While checking your Blood Pressure with this kind of monitor, doctors use a stethoscope to listen to the beat pulse during cuff deflation to determine the correct blood pressure readings.
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