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Inaccurate Blood Pressure Gauges and Hypertension

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posted on Nov, 29 2011 @ 01:50 PM
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I never expected *any* commonly performed measurement fully accurate but the following paragraph got me thinking:

from: www.cmaj.ca...




30% to 40% of aneroid sphygmomanometers used by physicians are out of calibration by 4 mm Hg or more, and about 10% are out of calibration by 10 mm Hg or more. [1] Inadequate preparation of patients, significant deviations from recommended technique and inaccurate sphygmomanometers often result in blood pressure measurement errors of 10 mm Hg or more.

this is significant, but what would the estimated result of underestimation by the same amount be?




Conversely, consistent underestimation of diastolic pressure by 5 mm Hg would reduce by 62% the number of patients perceived as hypertensive. [8] These errors could deprive patients of therapy proven to be beneficial and could lead to increases in serious medical and social complications. The effects of consistent errors of 10 mm Hg in systolic pressure could be similar.



Well, there go several billions in (legal) drug money...

In the same vein (pun intended) is it really a coincidence that they err on the high side? The answer is obvious, since there are always plans ready to lower the limits of what is considered healthy, much in the same way speed limits are used.

Since the medical business has by no means a monopoly on pressure gauges, i can only suggest to use the normal cuff in combination with an appropriately scaled third party pressure gauge and take it from there. Of course, you'll have to translate mmHg into bar or psi, HPa or whichever you're comfortable with (1 bar = 750mmHg).
edit on 2011.11.29 by Long Lance because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 29 2011 @ 02:15 PM
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Interesting. You might want to factor in the blood pressure level where high blood pressure is supposed to start. My blood pressure has been the same for most of my life, but, a few years ago the pressure level where high blood pressure is supposed to start was LOWERED and now I am considered to have high BP.



posted on Nov, 29 2011 @ 02:30 PM
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Blood pressure readings in doctor's offices and hospitals are usually on the high side because most people are nervous and/or in pain when they are there, automatically raising their blood pressure.

I got a home blood pressure monitor since my husband won't see a doctor unless he's dying, and I rarely go myself, but we are in our 50s and it is important to keep tabs on it. Particularly for hubby, since he day trades stocks for a living and I know he gets worked up every day over the way the stock market is manipulated.

Sure enough, several readings at different times of day while he was relaxed show that he now is in the hypertensive range (over 135 systolic).

I'm not sure how correctly calibrated the home machine is, so I will watch for changes in the numbers rather than the actual numbers themselves.



posted on Nov, 29 2011 @ 03:54 PM
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Actually, a couple of mm really isn't that much. And isn't that likely to get you placed on meds. A bigger issue is the person taking the pressure using the wrong cuff size. Someone with big arms needs a larger cuff. And I don't just mean fat arms. Also muscular. A cuff that is too small will give a much higher reading...sometimes 15-20mm/mg than one which is the correct size.
Conversely, a cuff which is too large for the patient, can show a much lower pressure than they really have.

Finally, watch the person taking your pressure. If they deflate the cuff too fast, there is NO WAY they will get an accurate reading. This type of reading could be off only a small amount or a much larger amount; basically depending on the current heart rate of the patient. The faster the deflation especially with a slow heart rate the more inaccurate the reading.

Now, to clarify my above statement....having only a couple of mm/mg off of calibration is bad, because in my medical opinion, it shows a lack of attention to detail by the provider. Especially since calibrating it takes only a few seconds......



posted on Nov, 29 2011 @ 06:20 PM
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Hypertension can't be diagnosed until you have three BP readings (all 1-2 weeks apart) of systolic over 139 or diastolic over 89. If you think the cuff is poorly calibrated, check your blood pressure every time you go to a grocery store (most have free automated cuffs at the pharmacy) or buy a home monitor (plenty under $20 now) and keep a personal log to take to your doctor.



posted on Nov, 30 2011 @ 12:47 PM
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Blood pressure readings can vary throughout the day.I know this because I became alarmed when my blood pressure escalated from the stress of my nursing program. So now I frequently monitor myself and have both a manual and automatic cuff, and to check accuracy of either, I have compared readings and they usually are within a couple of points of each other. So personally, I feel the automatic cuffs are just as accurate as manual. But to respond to your OP, my BP will go up and down throughout the day so variations are not unusual. Causes of the variations can be responses to stress, diet, fluid balance. Constant elevation can indicate atherosclerosis and cholesterol deposits. A cholesterol screening would be a good place to start if consistently high.



posted on Nov, 30 2011 @ 03:01 PM
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reply to post by webpirate
 


a couple of mmHg more will mean medication, the diastolic threshold for mild hypertension is only 10mm above the standard (80). all i am saying is that these readings have profound consequences and they are usually on the high side.

'erring on the side of caution' is impossible when deviations at both ends of the spectrum are considered pathological. blood pressure readings aren't rocket science just listen to blood gushing noise and note where it starts and ends. some errors must be attributed to the gauge since it is hard to believe that the majority of nurses and doctors get it wrong half the time.



posted on Nov, 30 2011 @ 03:06 PM
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Teatimes, people...

I had borderline high blood pressure at age 19. A decade later at 29, and am in optimal range


Diet is key...teatimes is gooood
Study: Daily Tea Consumption Reduces Risk of Hypertension



edit on 30-11-2011 by unityemissions because: (no reason given)



posted on Nov, 30 2011 @ 07:10 PM
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Originally posted by Long Lance
reply to post by webpirate
 


a couple of mmHg more will mean medication, the diastolic threshold for mild hypertension is only 10mm above the standard (80). all i am saying is that these readings have profound consequences and they are usually on the high side.


Typically, people who are stage 1 hypertensive will be trialed on a few months of diet modification and exercise before medications are added.




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