Marie
Senior Travel Member
Posts: 114
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Post by Marie on Sept 25, 2004 8:11:09 GMT -5
Ok, so I'm like a little kid at chrismas. I just got my frist medical instruments and I just keep running around taking everyone's blood pressure! And it's just so much fun!! Just thought I'd share!
It puts a whole new spin on playing doctor!
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Post by Kim on Sept 25, 2004 10:33:59 GMT -5
Too funny!
Mines always been very low but it has never affected me. My doctor just told me never to get up fast! ;D
The husband and I always do ours at Wal-mart with those self serve machines, it's like a competition. He's always hoping that his stay in the normal range and I'm always hoping mine make it into the normal range!
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Post by Eagle on Sept 25, 2004 13:20:28 GMT -5
Glad to hear every is keeping track of their BP! Hopefully the BP machines at Drugstores etc. are only used for approximate readings or for fun, as the results are not always consistent or accurate. One of the important factors in measuring Blood Pressure is the ratio between the width of the Cuff and the size of the patient's arm. It's difficult in a "mass market" type application like that to equip the machine so that it provides an accurate reading for all individuals.
Just for the information of those on the Board, if someone is concerned about their blood pressure, some of the better quality electronic machines seem to provide accurate readings (I haven't done any research on particular brands, but the auto inflating models used in Hospital seem to work well).
The "benchmark" for accuracy for many years has been the Mercury Sphygmomanometer (the "official" name for these), most often found in Doctor's offices or Hospitals. Some of the better quality Aneroid units are good also, and these are the ones most often used in Ambulance or field applications, as they don't have the fragility of the mercury units. However, since these operate on the principle of air pressure, the calibration sometimes needs to be "tweaked".
Anyway, just thought I'd post some additional information on the subject. Cheers!!!
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