Many hypertensive patients choose to use electronic blood pressure monitors for daily monitoring of their blood pressure. But what kind of electronic blood pressure monitor is more suitable for them? There are three types of electronic blood pressure monitors: finger-clamp, wrist, and arm. Each type has its corresponding range of adaptation for different groups of people. However, in terms of accuracy, the arm-type is preferred.
Finger-clamp electronic blood pressure monitor: This mainly measures the blood pressure of the distal small arteries, usually used by doctors during surgery to monitor the patient's blood pressure. Since this blood pressure monitor measures the distal blood pressure, the results are not very accurate. Hypertensive patients who need daily blood pressure monitoring should not consider this type of blood pressure monitor.
Wrist electronic blood pressure monitor: This measures the pressure of the radial artery, which also belongs to the distal blood pressure. Therefore, the measurement result is not as accurate as that of an arm-type blood pressure monitor. Due to the convenience of wrist blood pressure monitors, they can be used at any time, making them suitable for people who travel frequently or patients who need to measure their blood pressure many times a day in the early stages.
Arm blood pressure monitor: This mainly measures the pressure of the brachial artery in the upper limb and can also measure heart rate. It is more accurate compared to wrist and finger-clamp blood pressure monitors. Ordinary patients, especially those with weak pulse, low blood pressure, or malignant hypertension, are recommended to use arm blood pressure monitors, otherwise, it may easily cause measurement errors.
Using it at home might be a bit troublesome, so here is an introduction to the method of using a mercury column arm blood pressure monitor (commonly used in clinical measurements).