How to use a wrist blood pressure monitor

Both young and old people must measure their blood pressure, because now more and more young people are starting to overwork and not paying attention to their physical health. Over time, they will find that their bodies are affected by some blood pressure problems. In addition to measuring blood pressure in the hospital, a wrist sphygmomanometer is also a common measurement method, and you can also learn it at home.

How to use

Preparation before examination: Before measuring blood pressure, you must rest for 5-10 minutes in a quiet environment to relax your body and mind, stabilize your breathing and heart rate, and then start measuring.

Body position, posture and operation: The subject lies flat or sits. Generally, the right arm is measured with the elbow joint at the same level as the heart and the upper arm straight and slightly abducted. The cuff should be close to the skin, with the lower edge 2-3 cm away from the elbow crease. It should not be too tight or too loose. For a mercury sphygmomanometer, the stethoscope should be placed on the brachial artery pulse at the elbow and should not be tucked under the cuff.

Readings: Due to the high sensitivity of the instrument, there will be some differences in the measurement results due to different operating procedures, cuff tightness and body position. You can loosen the cuff and measure again one or two times a few minutes later to take the average value.

Alternating method measurement:

The doctor measures the blood pressure for the first time using a mercury sphygmomanometer. After a 3-minute rest, the doctor measures it for the second time using an electronic sphygmomanometer. Then the patient rests for another 3 minutes. Finally, the doctor measures it for the third time using a mercury sphygmomanometer. The average of the first and third measurements is taken as the doctor's measurement. Compared with the value measured by the electronic sphygmomanometer, the difference should generally be less than 10 mmHg (1.33 kPa). You can use the electronic blood pressure monitor that meets this condition with confidence.

Precautions

It should be noted that wrist-type electronic blood pressure monitors are not suitable for patients with blood circulation disorders. Diseases such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension will accelerate arteriosclerosis and cause peripheral circulation disorders. These patients had significant discrepancies between wrist and upper arm blood pressure measurements. It is recommended that these patients and the elderly should choose to use an arm-type electronic blood pressure monitor. In addition, you should measure your blood pressure on site before purchasing in order to choose an electronic blood pressure monitor that suits you.

I often hear people talking about how electronic blood pressure monitors are inaccurate and that the values ​​measured are different each time. There are two aspects to this question: