31Jan/11Off
What is more accurate- electronic or manual blood pressure machines?
When the doctor checks my blood pressure with an electronic machine, it is high. When I check it at home with my electronic machine, it is high. When my school nurse checks it with a manual machine and has trouble finding my pulse, it is normal.
Are these readings accurate? Which one should I trust?
January 31st, 2011 - 06:20
let’s get together sometime.
January 31st, 2011 - 06:20
The manual BP is always more accurate. With the machines, it’s better to look for a trend.
January 31st, 2011 - 06:20
Electronic is better because people make mistakes or do it impropperly using manual.
Also place yor trust in your doctor, not a school nurse. Doctors spend alot of their life studying, whereas a nurse…you get the picture.
January 31st, 2011 - 06:20
The mercury gages are the most accurate, but they have been phased out of most medical facilities. Mechanical gages and electronic gages are accurate only if they are regularly calibrated against a mercury gage or through some other mechanism. The automated gages are very inaccurate, especially when used over clothing, or in people that have excess fat on their arms. So, there’s no way to know which machine is most accurate.
A person’s blood pressure changes constantly when they are not sleeping, so if the differences in the readings are less than 5 mm mercury apart, the differences in the readings are not medically significant.
January 31st, 2011 - 06:20
manual for external blood pressure monitoring as you can hear the sounds…[ karotkoff sounds ]. the machines can sometimes be out of calibration…..and are not always accurate……but also your blood pressure can change alot through the day..best to check it in the morning when you wake up before you do to much moving around…..when you go into her office she might ask you to sit for a minute or two before taking it as it gives your body time to relax abit… but again, if done properly, a manual machine is always more accurate as the person doing it can hear the sounds through the stethescope.
January 31st, 2011 - 06:20
we have an electronic one at home and works well accurate with any manual one….The electronic ones are even used by doctors to do a 24 check on blood pressure…i have one on right now lol taking my blood pressure every 20 minutes…