Pulse rate measured on a BP monitor

It's 5 months since I had a PM fitted to deal with a complete heart block. I've had my first check up with the technical people, but not the medics yet.

I've been told by the tech guys that a blood pressure monitor (Omron as used by my GP) gives false readings of the pulse rate and should never be used for this purpose. Is this the case? 

 

3 Comments

Suggestion

by Pacer2019 - 2019-12-22 13:41:26

Learn to take your own pulse then compare the two 

Not sure that they are correct

by crustyg - 2019-12-22 18:02:20

There is definitely an issue with devices that attempt to measure your HR if they depend on some phenonmenon that is consistent in the change that is monitored.

So a pulse-oximeter may get your HR wrong if some of your heart beats are powerful and some weak.  An automatic sphygmomanometer (home BP machine) reports your pulse by timing the pressure waves that it detects.  Perhaps some of the older ones could only detect this once the cuff pressure was below your systolic (higher) pressure, and then only measured your HR for a short period as the cuff deflated to below your diastolic pressure - usually too short an interval for a really good HR measurement in someone with bradycardia, or if your HR is constantly changing.

But I'm not sure that either of these really apply to you.  Measuring your HR yourself by feeling an artery (*not* with your thumb) isn't without the possibility of error, especially if your heart beats are not of equal intensity - but they should be for you.

But really, are we aiming for NIST/ASTM levels of accuracy here?  I think it's unlikely that your HBP monitoring box is going to be that much out (certainly isn't when I use one), and anyway does it matter that much? Is someone going to change your meds on the basis of some HR figures?

omron

by dwelch - 2019-12-25 06:04:39

I got a couple of different omrons recently tossed one because it was always way off.  240/something, 240 being the max pressure it applies before starting to release pressure on the cuff.  I have doubts about the other one.  

I would suspect this claim is possible, at the same time to read your blood pressure it doesnt need to accurately find your pulse/rate right?  Needs to know if the cuff has stopped blood flow and released it and is restricting it, yes?

I would think that the devices that measure your pulse using light (clipped on your fingertip) would work with us, but would that work to take BP?  Dont know.  

I did see in a doctors office recently they have an Omron BP unit rather than the traditional cuff.  Maybe this is a question for omron.

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