Why all blood pressure mashine show always error in thailand ?

[Sandman77]

If I want measure my blood pressure often I have visit 3 or 4 pharmacy that at least one Mashine is working all others show error this happen also today in a hospital try calculate 3 time but all failed

Also the measurement process need twice time from measuring mashines in my homecountry

My current blood pressure is normal

At home never any mashine show a error all caluculate right but if another person use same mashine I use it works but on my arm never works strange doctor say sorry sir we also don't know try another mashine then failed again does anyone have similar problem?

[tonray]

Sometimes the cuff is wrong size. Maybe your arm is too big or too small for proper fit. Also machines never maintained or calibrated correctly in most public places.

You should go to Big_C or Tesco and buy your own machine...then you can not worry and take it every day on your own.

[lopburi3]

So how large around is your arm? Some cuffs used here are made for smaller Asian measurements so that might be an issue.

[Singerman]

Buy a "machine" and measure your own B/P.

These "machines" are essentials simple devices which rarely go wrong.

Not expensive !

http://www.lazada.co.th/shop-health-monitors/

[tonray]

So how large around is your arm? Some cuffs used here are made for smaller Asian measurements so that might be an issue.

Same issue with condoms...

[kkerry]

A good Omron BP monitor is around 2000 baht, Check to see it has the right cuff size for you. Never had an error at home or in a hospital. Maybe your BP is not as normal as you think...

[chiang mai]

I believe you will find that rubber plastic and glue deteriorate quite rapidly in the tropics due to the UV and heat, ergo BP machines, lke tennis shoes, don't have lengthy lifespans.

[DogNo1]

I have never had a very accurate measurement from a machine. The best measurement is done by a doctor or a nurse using a manual blood pressure upper arm cuff and a stethoscope. It is important to have time to relax before your blood pressure is measured and the person taking it will sometimes have to take two or three measurements to get it right. When I go to see my cardiologist at Bumrungrad, the blood pressure taken by the machine is always considerably higher then the blood pressure found by my doctor. I have a fairly expensive Omron blood pressure monitor and its successive readings are always wildly different. Possibly the anxiety associated with using the machine sends my blood pressure constantly higher.

[kkerry]

Many times they take your bp as soon as you enter the hospital or doctors office without letting you relax a bit. If you have just eaten, showered, or walked to the hospital and then up a few flights of stairs, these are all things that will affect your reading.

If you're checking at home then best to test at the same time each day. Errors can also occur if you don't sit still, keep talking, sit incorrectly e.g cross legged, with raised heels, leaning forward, have an arm cuff that is old or too loose etc. If you take repeat readings then you need to allow a few minutes between readings to let the arteries settle back down to how they were before the first reading.

white coat hypertension

[kkerry]

Just taken my bp at three minute intervals on my Omron home bp monitor, pretty consistent.

118/68

114/68

115/68

[Sandman77]

Yes that's true not let you relax in hospital before I always quite not talk and arm is streight lol

I want bring a always show error mashine to a reverse engineer

I think arm fitting to small not compatible with big farang arm was first opened alone during first atemt

So this topic is a wake up call to all hospital to buy farang compatible measurement mashines

It even happen also one time In a ambulance car that measurement not was working sorry we cannot check sir

[Jeffrey346]

If you buy, be sure to get a good one or it may error out...lol

B2000 or more for a good one...

[gerryBScot]

I am not honestly sure how useful random measures of blood pressure really are, forget the quality of that machinery. They might be useful if your BP is dangerously high or low so long as you go to see a doctor immediately. However in those grey borderline areas between normal and high when decisions are taken about using medication to get BP under control, I think you really need to monitor it in a slightly more scientific way. So I would suggest a daily or twice daily routine at about the same time, so that you have some chance of comparing like with like and then over a week, say, calculate your average BP.

Edited December 21, 2015 by gerryBScot

[mankondang]

I believe you will find that rubber plastic and glue deteriorate quite rapidly in the tropics due to the UV and heat, ergo BP machines, lke tennis shoes, don't have lengthy lifespans.

"Deteriorate quite rapididly in the tropics due to UV and heat"... The OP says he has BP machine problems located in pharmacies etc. To the best of my experience, in Chiang Mai" these are indoor buildings, mainly air-conditioned and not affected by the sun and UV (Unless the installed lights are so powerful in every pharmacy that they cause this... doubt it!). Maybe you have your BP taken in direct sunlight and UV radiation...possibly located outdoors in the center of the pharmacy car park.

Even so, the OP suggests that others using the same machines have no problems. I'd rather go along with what most logic previous answers suggest, ether the cuff is inadequate, or the technique is.

PS. Keep out of the sun.

[chiang mai]

I believe you will find that rubber plastic and glue deteriorate quite rapidly in the tropics due to the UV and heat, ergo BP machines, lke tennis shoes, don't have lengthy lifespans.

"Deteriorate quite rapididly in the tropics due to UV and heat"... The OP says he has BP machine problems located in pharmacies etc. To the best of my experience, in Chiang Mai" these are indoor buildings, mainly air-conditioned and not affected by the sun and UV (Unless the installed lights are so powerful in every pharmacy that they cause this... doubt it!). Maybe you have your BP taken in direct sunlight and UV radiation...possibly located outdoors in the center of the pharmacy car park.

Even so, the OP suggests that others using the same machines have no problems. I'd rather go along with what most logic previous answers suggest, ether the cuff is inadequate, or the technique is.

PS. Keep out of the sun.

UV travels through glass unless if not filtered,

[Sparkles]

Had a Microlife machine here for 13 years,its not going to deteriorate under normal use.Check it against my Drs machine always spot on.Citizen is a good make,made in Japan less than 2000 b,cheap investment

[12DrinkMore]

The wrist versions are also not as good as the upper arm versions.

I always have a higher blood pressure when I go to see the doctor. I think it has something to do with nurses and tight white uniforms.

[maderaroja]

Many times they take your bp as soon as you enter the hospital or doctors office without letting you relax a bit. If you have just eaten, showered, or walked to the hospital and then up a few flights of stairs, these are all things that will affect your reading.

If you're checking at home then best to test at the same time each day. Errors can also occur if you don't sit still, keep talking, sit incorrectly e.g cross legged, with raised heels, leaning forward, have an arm cuff that is old or too loose etc. If you take repeat readings then you need to allow a few minutes between readings to let the arteries settle back down to how they were before the first reading.

white coat hypert

You should be able to walk to the doctor's office and even up a couple flights of stairs, yet you should have a normal BP immediately. If you do not, you should have a heart checkup and if okay, you should do some exercise every day; walking, climbing stairs, bicycling, something to strengthen your heart muscle.

[lopburi3]

Even if not white coat (which is very real for many of us) just walking around is likely to provide different reading than after the recommended 5 minutes of sitting before taking reading. Just reading posts on a forum like this can have its effect.

[bazza40]

Just taken my bp at three minute intervals on my Omron home bp monitor, pretty consistent.

118/68

114/68

115/68

Most blood pressure machines are consistent, but not necessarily accurate. The distinction can be illustrated by thinking of an archery or rifle target with its three concentric rings. If you had three arrows in the bullseye, that's accurate. If all three arrows were in one of the outer rings close together, that's consistent but not accurate.

Electronic blood pressure machines are factory calibrated. However, as I saw at Ram Hospital in Chiang Mai, the machine had not been recalibrated for six years. So there are plenty of opportunities for incorrect readings.

The only blood pressure instrument that can achieve accurate results and does not need calibration is a sphygmanometer based on a mercury-filled manometer. That has to be operated by someone trained in its use, such as a doctor or nurse. The electronic machines are popular because training required is minimal.

[bazza40]

The wrist versions are also not as good as the upper arm versions.

I always have a higher blood pressure when I go to see the doctor. I think it has something to do with nurses and tight white uniforms.

Perhaps they are wrapping the sleeve around the wrong part of your body.

[billd766]

I usually cut the grass and scrub most days and I take 5 readings on my Microlife BP tester just after I come in and use the middle one. I do the same again about an hour later with 5 more readings and there is usually a fair difference between the two times.

[smccolley]

A good Omron BP monitor is around 2000 baht, Check to see it has the right cuff size for you. Never had an error at home or in a hospital. Maybe your BP is not as normal as you think...

I use the Omron and am very happy with the results, it seems to be very accurate and matches what my heart doctor reads when he skips the fancy machines and uses a old fashioned BP tester

[swissbie]

I have a very high blood pressure when i don't use beta blockers. I try to keep it under control and use a cheap bp tester since more than ten years, no problems at all, don't store it in a airconditioned room. White coat syndrome i try to overcome with yoga, i only get error messages when the batteries are down. OP, do you have very deep set blood vessels? Did you experience problems with doctors not finding your veins when vaccinating? Otherwise difficult to get a reasonable explanation, i don't think that arm perimeters really matter as times when most Thais had been quiet skinny have long gone.

[bangon04]

One factor to bear in mind - the automatic bp testers eg Omron are prone to an error message if you have a slightly irregular heartbeat ie atrial fibrillation or similar. The machine cannot compensate, and often gives an error message.

Slight Arhythmia is often noted in hypertensives.

[Borneo Baron]

Its because you cant spell machine!No seriously a lot of the automatic machines show error if you have an irregular heart beat.

[ThaiWai]

Are you a zombie?

[jonnit]

I often get an error when measuring my blood pressure. I currently use one of the latest Omron models which is supposed to be very accurate. In the doctors office and hospital, they too get errors when reading my blood pressure. It is not the machine in my case. I have had open heart surgery and am now on Toprol which slows my heart rate. Along with that I have an irregular heart beat. If my monitor reads less than 38 BPM, then it will show an error. Also, with the frequent pause between beats it will sometimes error out even when above 38 BPM.

[Dumbastheycome]

Don't tell your problem to too many Thais. They will circulate the rumour you are a ghost!

As for the machines? I have never had a problem. And the average read-out is always comparative witha manual test. Normal range.

If you relax your arm with wrist upwards maybe it will read without error.

[TheKnave]

"Nurse, either this man's dead, or my watch has stopped!"