Best blood pressure monitor?

I want to buy one to see how it might change throughout the day and automatically store and graph it via a wireless link.  Accuracy is my #1 criteria, though, as very often these things seem highly inaccurate when compared to what a doctor measures with the old mercury standard. 
 
In searching the forum I did find an earlier topic:
http://cocoontech.com/forums/topic/14070-looking-for-blood-pressure-monitor/#entry119860
but I'm wondering whether there's anything newer/better since then?  BSR liked Omron, and the Omron website says that currently the M6 Comfort IT is their current flagship (around $150):  http://www.omron-healthcare.com/en/products/bloodpressuremonitoring
 
Suggestions/recommendations?
 
The Omron 10 is less than half the price, has bluetooth for uploading to their website.  I'm not sure how one can evaluate the relative accuracy though.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Omron-Wireless-Pressure-Wide-Range-BP786/dp/B00KW4PO82/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1441934511&sr=1-1&keywords=wireless+blood+pressure
 
In any case, the more automated the uploading and graphing and such, the better.

Consumer Reports tests b.p. monitors from time to time. It seems like accuracy is model dependent, and no particular brand is best overall. 
 
A few of the models that scored well are:
 
Rite Aid Deluxe Automatic BP3AR1-4DRITE  $60
iHealth Dock BP3  $80
Omron 10 Series BP786  $65
A&D Medical UA767F  $53
Omron 7 Series BP652  $53

Thanks!  In that case I'll try the BP786 via Amazon (above link).
 
BTW, I noticed on the Omron website it says "
 
It is generally recommended to have the unit inspected every two (2) years to ensure correct functioning and accuracy. The OMRON distributor for your country will have the specialised test equipment as well as the trained technicians to facilitate this service. Your local OMRON retailer can assist you with arranging this service. Please bear in mind that this service is not provided free of charge and costs will be involved."
 
I'm thinking an easier way to check it is just to bring it to the doctors when I get a physical and see how it compares there against their measurement with the  mercury standard.

NeverDie said:

I'm thinking an easier way to check it is just to bring it to the doctors when I get a physical and see how it compares there against their measurement with the  mercury standard.

Click to expand...

 
 
That's what I do.  Over the years, its readings have drifted slightly, but doing a compare against the doctor gives me a reference.  I haven't tried to get a price on having it recalibrated.  I suspect it is close to the cost of buying a new one.

RAL said:

That's what I do.  Over the years, its readings have drifted slightly, but doing a compare against the doctor gives me a reference.  I haven't tried to get a price on having it recalibrated.  I suspect it is close to the cost of buying a new one.

Click to expand...

I would guess the same, especially after you add in the hassle .cost of one or possibly two trips to their repair depot.

The wrist clasp units can be a problem if you do not use them at heart elavation.

Just to close the loop on the BP786, it works but I can only access records using the android app.  So, even though it uploads the data to the cloud, there's no way to browse the cloud data  from a PC.  Instead, you have to go through the app, which does fairly low resolution graphing.  I'll probably keep it, though, because finding something better isn't worth the extra time it would take.
 
By the way, the New York Times recently reported that there's a big government study, soon to be published, which proves that you should probably take whatever measures are necessary to bring your systolic down below 120, if it isn't already.  Before the study, it was an open issue as to how aggressive BP should be treated, but now that issue is settled.  120 is  a lot lower than what was previously considered to be a reasonable treatment target for the general population.

NeverDie said:

Thanks!  In that case I'll try the BP786 via Amazon (above link).
 
BTW, I noticed on the Omron website it says "
 
It is generally recommended to have the unit inspected every two (2) years to ensure correct functioning and accuracy. The OMRON distributor for your country will have the specialised test equipment as well as the trained technicians to facilitate this service. Your local OMRON retailer can assist you with arranging this service. Please bear in mind that this service is not provided free of charge and costs will be involved."
 
I'm thinking an easier way to check it is just to bring it to the doctors when I get a physical and see how it compares there against their measurement with the  mercury standard.

Click to expand...

 
You could always buy a cheap stethoscope and a standard BP cuff and check it yourself the old fashioned way.  The only difficult part is figuring out how to get the velcro arm band onto your own arm using only one hand.  It really isn't that hard to learn.
 
It is a simple concept.  When the cuff is at a pressure higher than the systolic, no blood flows and you hear nothing.
As you lower the cuff pressure slowly, soon the pulse pressure will force blood through the "squashed shut" artery, and this makes a whooshing sound.  The first you hear this sound is the systolic.
As you lower the cuff pressure more, eventually it drops low enough that the artery always stays open, flow is non-turbulent, and again you hear nothing.  The first you hear (or actually don't hear) this, that is the diastolic.

Thanks!  That's a very clear explanation, and it  does sound simple. I think I'll do that.  
 
With the machine I get a sequence of numbers that are clustered, but I don't think I ever get the same two numbers twice in a row, even if I take a series of them back to back.  So, it has me wondering whether the machine is sloppy, or whether BP just naturally varies that much.  If so then I would think the magnitude  of the hysteresis might be an interesting number as well, but nobody seems to measure that (at least not with a cuff), so maybe not. I suppose I should probably just settle more before taking the measurement.  
 
I've noticed that in doctors offices the nurse or doctor usually takes it soon after I sit down, not after 15 minutes of settling, which, according to Omron's directions, is the recommended settle time for their device.  Perhaps clinicians care more about a ballpark number, and if so, their quick and dirty number wouldn't be ideal for crosschecking the machine's accuracy after all.

There is still the science of the methodology of being able to feel a pulse on the wrist properly and the variances of pulse pressure relating to specfic points of touch and the pulse of the person actually checking your pulse.  
 

 
 

• Gently place 2 fingers of your other hand on this artery.
• Do not use your thumb, because it has its own pulse that you may feel.
• Count the beats for 30 seconds, and then double the result to get the number of beats per minute.

Some folks actually feel their own pulse sometimes even with two fingers over another persons artery while some do not feel a pulse at all. (they can have the beginning states of a periferal neuropathy or even idiopathic perferal neuropathies).
 
I have though seen a slow migration over the years from the analog to the digital blood pressure devices.  DIY it with a analog meter / blood pressure cuff and a digital cuff at home might be easier than DIYing it in a medical office alloting a period of time for testing.
 
The large analog pressure meter and proper methodologies of feeling for a pulse while sort of antiquated can provide a better number than a digital cuff misaligned just a touch while software is compensating.  The digital cuff / software is more a one size fits all methodology and has though become better over the years.  You can also just go to your local pharmacy and compare their digital blood pressure machine (free use) to your digital blood pressure machine to your analog blood pressure machine.  I rarely see these used such that you could take your time with the stuff.
 
I've noticed that in doctors offices the nurse or doctor usually takes it soon after I sit down, not after 15 minutes of settling,
 
It is supposed to be that way as many folks anxieties can subtly increase blood pressure.  Basic vital signs automation would be a replacement relating to resources / machines / software but we are not there yet sort of unless you have some device on your wrist that is constantly chatting with a cloud application.  (sitting in a chair while waiting to see your physician and having a computer passively doing all of your vital signs and providing those on a tablet to the physician as he walks over to your examining room).
 
Unrelated to the above and relating to automation in our current timeline/timeframe.
 
@David....maybe it's my age?  I have become somewhat antiquated in my zest for automation.  Starting to see it creeping in to everything these days.  (people being substituted for the computer).  We went to a wedding a couple of weeks ago.  It was really nice.  Noticed the videographer was using a drone for most of the video captures.  Been to a few weddings this past year and this was the first one using a drone.  Wife did get upset as we lite up Chinese candles one night during the wedding (hundreds of them) over a large body of water and I pointed out to the drone taking movies (had some little red lights on it?).

NeverDie said:

Thanks!  That's a very clear explanation, and it  does sound simple. I think I'll do that.  
 
With the machine I get a sequence of numbers that are clustered, but I don't think I ever get the same two numbers twice in a row, even if I take a series of them back to back.  So, it has me wondering whether the machine is sloppy, or whether BP just naturally varies that much.  If so then I would think the magnitude  of the hysteresis might be an interesting number as well, but nobody seems to measure that (at least not with a cuff), so maybe not. I suppose I should probably just settle more before taking the measurement.  
 
I've noticed that in doctors offices the nurse or doctor usually takes it soon after I sit down, not after 15 minutes of settling, which, according to Omron's directions, is the recommended settle time for their device.  Perhaps clinicians care more about a ballpark number, and if so, their quick and dirty number wouldn't be ideal for crosschecking the machine's accuracy after all.

Click to expand...

 
Regarding no two readings are the same.  If you are talking a couple mm of mercury, then that is within the margin of error and is irrelevant as a measure of health anyway.  If your talking 10 mm, that is way too much.  Manually taking blood pressure is very accurate provided your sphygomomanometer is descent (the stethoscope need not be anything more than a cheapo one for this application).  Also, if your pulse is slow, you need to drop the pressure in the cuff slowly.  If your rate of "leaking down" the cuff is 5mm per second, and your pulse is 60, you could easily be off by 5mm.  One method is to take a quick pressure reading to get the ball park numbers, then re-take it dropping very slowly when you get into the neighborhood of the correct numbers.
 
I don't know about sitting for 15 minutes.  I'm not going to bother doing a literature search to back myself up, but my experience is that it is typically not going to make any real difference.  Your blood pressure certainly goes up a lot when exercising, but if you are just casually walking about, then sit down to take a BP, you certainly aren't going to see any big change after 15 minutes of sitting there.  People are all different, however, so the easy answer for any one person is to experiment and see what happens.  Even having certain thoughts can make your BP change.  For purposes of general health, you are trying to measure your typical pressure.  So taking it in the midst of your typical routine is probably the most meaningful.  And when looking for trends over weeks and months, taking it under the same circumstances is going to be best.
 
And as far as buying a machine, I would recommend getting a real medical quality device used off of ebay rather than buying a new "home" quality machine.  For $200 you can get what was once a top of the line $5,000 multiparameter machine.  It would be your responsibility to confirm that it is working however.

Very good points Lou that you have brought up relating to blood pressure mechanisms of measurements.
 
Most important here is that you can DIY this easily enough and you care about it where as many folks do not ever check for themselves or care about it until it is too late.

pete_c said:

@David....maybe it's my age?  I have become somewhat antiquated in my zest for automation.  Starting to see it creeping in to everything these days.  (people being substituted for the computer).  We went to a wedding a couple of weeks ago.  It was really nice.  Noticed the videographer was using a drone for most of the video captures.  Been to a few weddings this past year and this was the first one using a drone.  Wife did get upset as we lite up Chinese candles one night during the wedding (hundreds of them) over a large body of water and I pointed out to the drone taking movies (had some little red lights on it?).

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Hi Pete,
 
Not sure what you mean or what the question is.  You don't strike me as antiquated in any sense of that term that I can think of.  If anything, just the opposite: you seem very much on top of exploiting new and current developments, not somebody who is living in the past.  Also, knowing history doesn't make you antiquated.  I think the more history a person knows the more awake and aware and alive they can be present, and people without that are just oblivious.  If what you mean is more akin to "Future Shock," well, yeah, probably anyone over 40 is feeling that to some degree or another.  That said, I wouldn't trade the present for, say, living in ancient Egypt, where it seemed the pace of change was glacial for almost a solid 3,000 years or so.
 
In the end, though, I think my grandparents experienced more significant change than our generation.
 
P.S.  Good suggestion about the pharmacy BP machine.

Lou Apo said:

One method is to take a quick pressure reading to get the ball park numbers, then re-take it dropping very slowly when you get into the neighborhood of the correct numbers.

Click to expand...

Yes, I was thinking of that as a strategy too.  I'm not sure if the machine does that or not, but I get the vague  impression it doesn't.  Presently I have it set to do 3 measurements with the default 1 minute gap inbetween (expandable to 2 minutes through a user setting), and at the end it reports only one pair of numbers, not any of the intermediate readings.  

Lou Apo said:

 For $200 you can get what was once a top of the line $5,000 multiparameter machine.  

Click to expand...

That's an intriguing suggestion that I never would have thought of.  Aside from blood pressure, what other parameters would I want such a "multiparameter" machine to have?

No questions ...just a bit of a rant and thank-you David.
 
Guess I use the term antiquated loosely like I use the term kermungeon.  Yup always tickering keeps my mind ticking. 
 
Relating to being vigilante about your blood pressure; that is a good thing. 
 
What you use isn't as important as checking your BP as most folks these days do not.
 
Best blood pressure monitor?
 
Is you.