Konstantin Krulev, a cardiologist, named the most common mistakes that can happen when using automatic tonometers. According to him, such devices have drawbacks, but they “turn a blind eye” to this, as they are very convenient.
– In Russia, the process of measuring blood pressure is regulated by order No. 4 of 01/24/2003, in which it is written in black and white that the measurement is carried out according to the Korotkov method – using a phonendoscope. The use of automatic devices (as written in the same order) in 5-15% of cases gives blood pressure values that are stable and significantly different from the values according to the Korotkov method. What is the error in 5-15% of cases? This means that on average every 10 measurements will be erroneous, – the physician wrote in his blog.
He stressed that automatic blood pressure monitors are not approved for use.
The cardiologist gave an example of such a case. One of the patients complained of headache for two days. The blood pressure figures she reported were not cause for concern. The doctor advised the woman to take painkillers. On the third day, he measured blood pressure with his tonometer, not automatic, but classic. It turned out that the woman's upper (systolic) pressure exceeded 200 mm Hg. Art. When measured with an automatic tonometer, which is superimposed on the wrist, the numbers were 140/70.
The second drawback is an inaccurate measurement of the pulse. So, according to the doctor, one of his patients had parkinsonism, and the right hand trembled much more strongly than the left. The device perceived this as an arrhythmia.
Another drawback is that with atrial fibrillation, the readings of an automatic device are the least reliable.
Atrial fibrillation is a heart rhythm disorder characterized by a chaotic, irregular contraction of the atrial myocardium. sharply reduces the accuracy of the automatic tonometer.
“You can avoid mistakes by learning how to use a conventional, “manual” apparatus,” the specialist noted.
As the doctor and TV presenter Alexander Myasnikov said, arguing on this topic, the biggest mistake when measuring pressure with a tonometer is tight tightening the cuff.
—If you overtighten the cuff, you will show more pressure than it is, he said.
The most accurate instrument for measuring pressure is a mercury tonometer. Watches, wristbands and other devices with a similar function are significantly inferior to him in accuracy, the physician emphasized.
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Important! purposes. Ask a specialist about contraindications and side effects and under no circumstances self-medicate. Seek medical attention at the first sign of illness.
