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Different blood pressure monitors

The normal blood pressure of the normal human being is 120/80 mmHg. When the blood pressure is more than 140/90 it is known as high blood pressure. The one on the top is known as systolic pressure and the one on the bottom is diastolic pressure.

We should always keep in mind that high blood pressure is usually present for many years before its complications develop. Hence it is called “Silent killer”. The idea is to treat hypertension early, before it damages critical organs in the body. Hence increased public awareness and screening programs to detect uncomplicated hypertension are the keys to successful treatment.

The tests usually used to diagnose the blood pressure are exercise stress tests. There are few monitors used to detect the blood pressure.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitor

Ambulatory blood pressure monitor is generally used to monitor the blood pressure for continuous 24 hours. By wearing a small portable device for 24 hours, your physician can readily assess the heart rate and obtain an overview of your blood pressure.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitor has been used mainly in the mobile units such as ambulance, aircrafts, helicopters, etc. It will give tentative results for starting the treatment immediately during the emergency periods.

This is wrapped in a pouch without interfering your daily activities. It has been programmed in such a way that to take data for every 15 to 30 minutes through out the day and night. The details are stored and can be retrieved on request by taking the print out of the recordings.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, called ABPM, is often used in cases of borderline hypertension. In this type of hypertension the true extent of the possible hypertension is very difficult to diagnose.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is also used extensively in “white coat hypertension” patients. In these patients the blood pressure is abnormal when taken by the physician but quite normal when taken outside the clinic.

Other significant role of Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is in assessing the drug effectiveness in particular treatment especially in hypotension. The drug used for reducing the hypertension may cause this condition. Accordingly, the drug dosage may be reduced after monitoring through ABPM.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring helps a lot in diagnosing the conditions such as pheochromocytoma, an adrenal gland tumor, where episodic spikes of high blood pressure are recorded.

The only limitation in the usage of ABPM is that it is very difficult to monitor Autonomic dysfunction. In these patients, the BP will be raised when asleep, but normalized when they awake. The abrupt drop in BP also being noticed after meals in these patients. In these circumstances, Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring finds difficult to give correct results.

Blood pressure monitor for stress test

The stress test helps the physician to find out the health of the heart especially during stress. This is also called as treadmill test or exercise test. By performing this tests the doctors are able to locate the problem you are suffering in the heart and also give you the suitable exercise program.

Initially the person who is subjected to this test should get hooked up to equipment for monitoring the heart function. Then he should walk on the treadmill slowly and the speed is increased rhythmically to produce the effect of going up a small hill. Now the person is asked to stop the test and the BP is monitored.

Blood pressure monitor for stress test is used during this operation, the doctor monitors the heart rhythm displayed in the heart monitor. Electrodes are attached to the chest to record the EKG. The EKG is monitored continuously, and blood pressure is measured at intervals. The health care professional will look out for telltale EKG changes and irregular heart rhythm.

Blood pressure monitor for exercise

The same monitor is also being used as blood pressure monitor for exercise. In addition to this, a very small monitor at the size of wristwatches are also available as blood pressure monitor for exercise. People who cannot exercise can be evaluated using pharmacologic stress testing with EKG.

One such device is Braun 1650 wrist blood pressure monitor. It is one of the best equipment tested for its accuracy. This consists of 20 memory slots and allows the patient to store the data with the time and date. Then in the evening the patient can approach his/her physician along with the monitor.

The cuff wrapped the wrist easily and comfortably. The LCD monitor helps the individual to note readings very easily. Moreover a single button fully automatic makes the operation very easy.

OEM blood pressure monitor

This is a method of noninvasive blood pressure monitoring. The main principle of the equipment is making use of the oscillometry with step deflation technology and state of the art proprietary algorithms.

This OEM blood pressure monitor is being use commonly in all kinds of human being including neonates and pediatrics. The readings can be obtained for systolic, diastolic, and mean pressures. In addition to this is very helpful in identifying the pulse rate and diagnostic quality codes.

Bi-directional serial port controls and programs this OEM blood pressure monitor. In this module, the commands are issued by a Host system to obtain the details of blood pressure. All the data including BP and pulse rate is retrieved immediately by the host system after completion of one BP sample.

Advantages of OEM blood pressure monitors

1. Consumes less power - This OEM blood pressure monitors operate off a single voltage system. This also can be operated by rechargeable battery and also helps to prolong battery life.
2. Motion tolerant - This OEM blood pressure monitors can withstand to patient or environmental movement. This can also be used in all types of transport including air, sea and ground transport.
3. Reliability - The readings obtained via the OEM blood pressure monitors are highly reliable and consistency. So there is no need to get multiple values to average the readings. This reduces the time of diagnosing considerably.

The most important thing one must keep in his mind regarding this different blood pressure monitor is that using a blood pressure monitor obtained from different over-the-counter shops is no substitute for medical consultation with your health care professional.