A blood pressure monitor is an essential requirement for a daily household in the present generation and future generations to come. Its help to keep you fit and in perfect condition for this polluted environment. It helps you avoid major damage to your health and serves as a precaution to your daily life habits. As being cautious is better than being cured, an Omron BP monitor will just be the right option for you. That is why we have short listed some best Omron BP Monitor for home use.
What is a Blood Pressure Monitor?
A blood pressure meter or monitor, also scientifically known as a sphygmomanometer is a device used to measure blood pressure. It is composed of an inflatable cuff that collapses and releases the artery pressed under it in a controlled manner.
Also Read: Best Blood Pressure Monitor in India for Home Use
Mercury or a mechanical manometer installed in it is used to measure the pressure. It is constantly used in conjunction to determine the flow of the blood and at what degree it is unimpeded.
Therefore these monitors consist an inflatable cuff, a measuring unit (the mercury manometer), and an inflation mechanism that may be manually and electrically operated via a valve or a pump.
The accuracy of the device must be first checked by comparing it to a mercury device, after which measurement on the user. To prevent breakage, glass tubes must be wrapped in Mylar.
What are the types of Blood Pressure Monitors?
There are two types of blood pressure monitors – manual and digital. Both manual and digital meters are readily available in the market and is of widespread use with different trade-offs in accuracy versus convenience.
Manual
A Manual meter is used by a trained practitioner and while it is possible to obtain a basic reading through palpation alone, this only yields the systolic pressure. These further have two sub-types:
- Mercury sphygmomanometers are considered the gold standard. They do not use recalibration and show blood pressure at the height of the mercury column. Because of their accuracy, they are used at a widespread scale, especially when dealing with high-risk patients and pregnant women.
- Aneroid sphygmomanometers (mechanical ones with a dial) are in common use; unlike mercury manometers, they require calibration checks. These are considered to be a safer device than those of the mercury ones as they are inexpensive and consist of their own health benefits. Aneroid mounted on walls or stands are not susceptible to this particular problem.
Digital
Instead of the use of auscultation, these digital meters use oscillometric measurements and electronic calculations. They may use manual or automatic inflation as both are electronic. They are easy devices to operate and need no pre-training whatsoever and also they can be utilized in noisy environments. With the use of oscillometric detection, systolic and diastolic pressures are measured. They are known for their accuracy at measuring pulse rate and blood pressure.
However, this type of a BP monitor is not recommended for patients suffering from preeclampsia, arteriosclerosis, pulsus alternans, arrhythmia, and pulsus paradoxus. This is because the calculations are not always apt for conditions such as these.
Merits of a Blood Pressure Monitor
- Mercury meters are durable and do not require readjustment
- Aneroid meters are often light weighted and portable
- For one-handed operations, some brands have facilities like a D-ring cuff, easy-to-read features or extra-large gauges
- Automatic meters are best for people with hearing problems or vision loss as it decreases human effort
- Perfect for people who suffer from hypertension or prehypertension
- These devices help to keep a check and monitor blood pressure on a daily basis
- The mercury sphygmomanometer works by gravity, thus delivering a simple mechanism
- Those meters made for home use can be used with a D-ring cuff and attached stethoscope for easy self-measurement
- They easily measure systolic and diastolic pressures
- They require minimal maintenance
- Automatic meters are contained in one unit that further promotes minimal manual dexterity
- Potential of a self-bleeding deflation valve
- Monitors that are especially made for home use are extremely light-weight and easy to use
Demerits of Blood Pressure Monitor
- The mechanism is complex and sensitive.
- Body movements influence accuracy at some cases.
- Not advisable for home use due to the hazards of mercury
- They require batteries or an AC adapter for large arm cuffs
- Situations when they are faulty, they may require factory repair and readjustment
- Aneroid meters are fairly delicate and prone to easy damage
- They require intensive care and the assembling of the machine before use require skill
- Careful cuff placement and arm positioning are vital processes
- A few models are designed only for left or right arm use
- Large cuffs are relatively expensive
- An analog sphygmomanometer requires its operations to be carried out by trained people
Omron is a very renowned name in the medical device space. Let’s look at the Best Omron BP monitor for Home use:
1) Omron HEM 7120 Fully Automatic BP Monitor
If you have just started using a blood pressure monitor, you might find it a little confusing or difficult to understand if your blood pressure is too high, low or even normal. This is where the Omron 7120 fully automatic BP monitor becomes very useful.
The indicator turns green if the blood pressure is normal; else orange indicates a higher blood pressure value. The monitor also features a BP Level bar that displays a comparison of your blood pressure readings in direct proportion with the normal rate.
It also detects irregular heartbeat that varies more than 25% from the average heartbeat. This machine prompts user to measure the blood pressure again when an error is detected due to body movement.
Omron BP monitor has storage facility which can save the last measured blood pressure.
The cuff size allows it to fit on medium to large arms. Inflation around the arm prevents incorrect cuff positioning. If you want to keep a track of your readings, this blood pressure monitor has a 120 stack memory storage that lets you review your previous readings filtered by time and date.
Pros:
- Utilizes an Easy-Wrap comfit cuff
- Adjusts easily on medium and large arms
- Stores previously recorded blood pressure data
Cons:
● No Wireless/Bluetooth or Smart/Voice Integration with Amazon Alexa
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2) Omron HEM-432C Manual Inflation BP Monitor
If you are interested in the manual process too, then this blood pressure monitor is for you. The HEM-432C manual blood pressure monitor comes with an inflation bulb to check your blood pressure manually. All you need to do is squeeze the bulb continuously until it reaches 30-40 mmHg higher that your normal reading level.
It is also paired with a digital monitor where you can see all your blood pressure data. Along with this it is also capable of displaying your pulse rate. Your blood pressure data is logged in the system memory for future revisions.
Pros:
- Manual inflation
- Easy setup and usage
- Features a digital panel
- Shows the pulse rate
- Can show the previous readings through the memory storage
Cons:
- No Omron Health Management Software
- Intellisense is absent
- Cuff fits arms 9 to 13 inches
3) Omron 3 Series Automatic BP Monitor
The Omron 3 series comes with a single-touch feature that facilitates users to check their blood pressure instantaneously. Its large digital panel displays readings in large digits. This feature is especially very beneficial for the elderly, making it easier for them to read the data.
It also comes with the ability to detect an irregular heartbeat while checking the blood pressure. An irregular heartbeat is notified through an indicator icon. You can additionally review your last 14 readings, with a single-touch button.
Pros:
- One-push operation
- Detects irregular heartbeats
- Large cuff size
- Portable and durable
Cons:
- Has a 14 stack memory storage; allowing you to review only the last 14 readings
- Cuff fits arms 9 to 13 inches
4) Omron Auto BP Monitor with Large Cuff
A larger cuff is needed for those who have large arms. Using the right size provides better comfort and prevents inaccurate measurements. If your arm diameter is between 13-17 inches, then this blood pressure monitor is for you.
It is built upon IntelliSense that inflates the cuff to the normal level during every use. It also features a large digital display that shows blood pressure and pulse readings. Its in-built memory storage allows you to compare previous data with present readings.
Pros:
- Uses an IntelliSense powered monitor to inflate the cuff to an ideal level
- Large cuff size
Cons:
● Limited memory storage
5) Omron HEM-780 Automatic BP Monitor
The HEM-780’s IntelliSense technology inflates the cuff to an ideal level and you will not have to make any adjustments to change the inflation levels. This is built especially for hypertensive users who have arrhythmia or related heart disorders as their blood pressure rate varies from time to time.
The equipment is portable and allows you to take measurements at home, whenever you need to. It comes with a large digital display and a 200 stack memory storage capacity to store and filter data whenever required.
Pros:
- Displays blood pressure readings and pulse rate
- Can detect early morning hypertension
- Has 200 stacks of memory storage; allowing you to review previous readings filtered by date and time
- Built-in hypertension indicator
Cons:
● Limited memory storage
6) Omron 10-Series Upper Arm Monitor
The Omron 10 Series is the latest models amongst blood pressure monitors. It is built upon state-of-the-art technology which provides useful insight when measuring your blood pressure. The 10 series is developed with a True Read mode that displays three consecutive measurements and the average rating of the three.
Its ability to detect irregular heartbeats helps identifying underlying health issues. It proves to be very accurate when it comes to measuring pulse and blood pressure. It is very portable and comes with 200 stack memory storage to compare previous and current readings for any irregularity.
Pros
- Engineered with True Read Mode
- Detects irregular heartbeat
- Cuff fits all size of upper arms
- Hypertension indicator icon
Cons
● Incompatible with Microsoft Health Vault
7) Omron BP742N 5 Series Upper Arm BP Monitor
The BP742N 5 Series is one of the best-selling blood pressure monitors by Omron. It is endorsed by many health professionals and doctors because of its capability of being highly accurate. It is built with a blood pressure level bar that displays the normal blood pressure levels compared to your reading.
This feature is best for hypertensive patients with pressure levels that are more likely to fluctuate. An advanced averaging technology records three consecutive readings within the last 10 minutes and delivers a total average. It comes with a 100 stack memory storage which allows data to be filtered by date and time.
Pros
- BP level bar that compares your readings to the normal blood pressure level
- Can detect irregular heartbeat and has an indicator icon
- Has 100 memory storage that shows previous readings
Cons
● No Wireless/Bluetooth and Smart/Voice Integration with Amazon Alexa
8) Omron 7 Series Wrist BP Monitor
This blood pressure monitor is perfect for home use. The Omron 7 series wrist blood pressure monitor is worth investing into. It’s not only innovatively crafted but it is also highly portable and reliable with precise blood pressure and pulse readings. This device inflates automatically when the wrist is at the heart level and placed in a correct position.
The indicator on the monitor will guide you till the device is in the correct orientation. All operations are silent and quick, allowing you to take measurements anytime and anywhere. It is sleek and portable with a ton of features and stored up to 100 stacks of data in its memory to compare and review at any given time.
Pros
- Wrist blood pressure monitor
- Automatic inflation when the wrist is at the heart level
- Has indicator lights to help you find the correct position
- Has 100 memory storage that shows the previous result
Cons
● No Wireless/Bluetooth and Smart/Voice Integration with Amazon Alexa
Conclusion
Here, we come to an end of our list of the 8 Best Omron BP monitors for home use. Selecting the correct blood pressure monitor can truly end up being your lifesaver.
With the help of accurate readings and regular check-ups, you can make necessary changes in your lifestyle and diet plans. Omron is the most reliable and trustworthy brand of blood pressure monitors that you can count on.
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