Blood Pressure Monitors: Types and Uses
Hypertension (a.k.a. high blood pressure) is by far one of the most common diseases. Effective treatment and prevention of this disease is possible only in the case of the use and medicinal and non-medicinal pills. Determination of the optimal treatment is possible only if a healthcare provider gets the most complete information about the patient’s condition. Application of daily monitor blood pressure (circadian blood pressure) monitor or tonometers makes it possible to receive reliable information about the change in pressure in a patient’s body to find the best pills to treat the condition.
About daily blood pressure monitors
Daily blood pressure monitor is a very compact device applied to measure blood pressure – systolic, diastolic blood pressure and even the pulse rate. It should be noted that the daily monitor blood pressure should be very easy to operate and use. The device is supplied with software required for calculations and displaying the results correctly. Often a blood pressure monitor has many additional features. There can be also included features along carrying out day and night blood pressure measurement on demand. Most modern versions of these devices are equipped with a USB port. This greatly facilitates the connection to a personal computer and enables the storage and subsequent analysis.
Daily monitor blood pressure makes it possible to quickly learn the results. The information is displayed on the monitor in a convenient form of graphs, charts, tables. This greatly facilitates the perception. Daily blood pressure monitors are equipped with high capacity batteries. Practically all devices are able to operate both the network and from the battery.
How to choose and buy the best blood pressure monitor for your needs?
You can’t make a mistake with the choice of the blood pressure monitor device that will work in the most suitable for you. For this purpose you should consult your pharmacist before purchase. Medical devices for measuring blood pressure are of three types: mechanical, automatic and semi-automatic. The purchase of an accurate and convenient blood pressure monitor is also possible if to know some nuances of these devices:
1. Mechanical blood pressure monitor
The device is equipped with a collar with attached tubes, one of which leads to a pressure gauge and the other – to the air-blowing pear. The indications of high and low blood pressure are monitored on a dial gauge with the stethoscope allowing hearing and counting the pulse rate as well. According to healthcare specialists, buying such mechanical monitors means acquiring the most accurate devices not affected by various noises, hand movements, etc. To use such monitor you need to learn to distinguish colors defining the blood pressure level and heartbeat rate. For hearing-impaired people this device is not acceptable.
2. Automatic tonometer
Fully automatic devices can be mounted on a finger, wrist or even shoulder. Usually such blood pressure monitor device does not require any human effort to work properly, but you still need to focus on the cuff that, when measuring, must be in a vertical position towards the heart’s location. After pressing the single button on such device BP readings are displayed on the display connected to a tonometer itself.
It is worn on the wrist or finger, suitable for people under 40 years. This is especially useful for athletes who constantly need to monitor their heartbeat rate and blood pressure levels.
NB: those who suffer from arrhythmia, should buy special blood pressure monitors, indicating the occurrence of an attack (icon – arrhythmia) and the need to re-measurement to obtain accurate measures of blood pressure.
3. Semi-automatic blood pressure monitors
Semi-automatic blood pressure monitors are equipped with a display, but the air to the blower comes manually. Such device is the most convenient to use for people who want to get the good device at low cost. To select an easy-to-use device it is necessary to cater for the chosen model enabling the power tool supplied by batteries. Low charged batteries can cause false readings of blood pressure so you have to change them frequently – keep this in mind when buying a blood pressure monitor with such design.
Choosing and buying the most accurate and convenient blood pressure monitor, taking into account the recommendations of doctors, is easy. After all, the challenge is to get the correct blood pressure monitor the best suitable for your daily needs. But keep in mind that buying a blood pressure monitor couldn’t be enough, you should follow few rules and recommendations by doctors regarding measurements for lowering blood pressure levels like smoking cessation, avoiding drinks and foods with alcohol and caffeine.