# Blood presure measurement in office/home



## SocialbFly (Jul 22, 2009)

I have meant to mention this before, but i wanted to mention it here....

If you need your blood pressure taken...here is a suggestion...you can use a regular cuff, just have them put it above your wrist and take it there. The issue is, the tech/medical person/rn as to measure your pressure at the level of the heart and your blood pressure MIGHT be around 10mmHg higher than the blood pressure taken at your antecubital area....

just so youknow, they place the regular sized cuff on your wrist then measure the reading at your pulse spot at the wrist...(your radial artery). 

It is easy, effective, and you can have your blood pressure taken anywhere like that....

http://bio-medical.com/news_display.cfm?newsid=60

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2261/9/20

http://journals.lww.com/bpmonitoring...ices__a.6.aspx

hope this helps 


:bow::bow::bow::bow::bow:
__________________


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## crayola box (Jul 22, 2009)

Thanks for the info. I knew about needing a bigger cuff but not about this option. I have often had an assistant, nurse, or doctor use the regular cuff and claim I have borderline high blood pressure, only to go to be sent to the cardiologist and told i am just fine after using a bigger cuff. I guess the problem is I can't tell when they are using a regular one as opposed to a bigger one and am afraid to object and possibly insult the person by implying they are wrong.


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## steely (Jul 23, 2009)

I tell them now when they pull out the cuff, you're going to need the bigger cuff. It doesn't bother me, I'd rather get an accurate reading.


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## SocialbFly (Jul 27, 2009)

steely said:


> I tell them now when they pull out the cuff, you're going to need the bigger cuff. It doesn't bother me, I'd rather get an accurate reading.



Steely, for many of us, the smaller big cuffs are not big enough...so, that is why i wrote the suggestion....and a thigh cuff that they often use, gives falsely low readings if it is too big on the arm....just saying


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## steely (Jul 27, 2009)

I'm sorry, that's what I was saying. When the tech tries to put that little cuff on me, I just tell them to use the big one. My big old upper arm fits that big cuff fine. Thanks for telling me though in case I need to tell them an alternate way to take it. Now, if they'd just get the scale fixed so I could get an accurate weight. It's been broken for a year. :doh:

I use a wrist monitor at home and I have a digital one with the big cuff and small one. I need to try your suggestion and see if there is a difference.

I was also talking to crayola box about insulting the tech. I know my body well enough now to tell them what I need, I'm kind enough to not offend so far.


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## crayola box (Jul 28, 2009)

Thanks Steely I understand what you meant: making sure to get an accurate reading is more important than giving the medical technician the benefit of the doubt and you are absolutely right. I think sometimes in medical situations people are tense so they keep quiet when they would otherwise speak up. 

And Thanks SocialbFly I can actually see a bunch of situations where the bigger cuff may be needed but unavailable. I know many people who live in areas where its easier to go down to the fire station between doctor visits to check blood pressure status, or on a group excursion where the medic may only have the one cuff available, so knowing alternate methods is definitely a plus!


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## Risible (Jul 28, 2009)

SocialbFly, thanks for posting this. I've stickied it in the Health Forum's Most Useful Threads because the info is, well, most useful!


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