Omron HEM-637 Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor with Advanced Positioning Sensor
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Our Price: $289.00 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Health Care See more product details |
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Customer Reviews of Omron HEM-637 Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor with Advanced Positioning Sensor
Customer Review: don't recommend
Summary: 2 Stars
There truly is an art to taking blood pressure. It's even written about in the old versions of diagnosis books about how to take both systolic and diastolic pressures with a regular cuff and no stethescope (palpating a DIASTOLIC and a systolic)...a handy skill in a busy emergency room or the back of an ambulance where the noise level can make a stethescope worth about as much as a surfer's neckless.
I tell you this to try and make it plain that I've looked at the nuances of taking a blood pressure, am no slouch, and have taken many blood pressures in life threatening situations, so that hopefully you'll listen to what I'm about to recommend...
First, the cuff must be large enough when taking a blood pressure or the reading can be innacurrate (falsely elevated if cuff too small). If I'm taking the blood pressure for someone who has a large arm and I'm in a tight and don't have a cuff that's large enough, I'll listen at the wrist (with a normal sized cuff on the forearm and a stethescope at the wrist). But, if I have a cuff that fits properly, taking blood pressure on the upper arm is more accurate.
I'd recommend you stay away from wrist cuffs unless there's some reason you can't take an upper arm value. While relying on a automatic wrist cuff, I've seen many patients led into thinking their blood pressure's normal when it's not. I would never trust an automatic wrist cuff for an important clinical decision.
I don't normally write negative reviews but I feel strongly about this one, don't settle for second best unless you must. Yes, it takes a little longer to expose the arm, but it's worth it for the most accurate value. If there's some reason you can't expose your upper arm (such cases do exist) then this cuff may be the answer.
See my book reviews and web site for more specific advice on how to lower your blood pressure.
Peace & Health,
Charles Runels, MD
Customer Review: Accurate, reliable, convenient
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a home health RN recently liberated from hospital practice. As such I am used to a variety
of gadgets,but electronic BP machines in hospitals still require arm cuffs. Because people come
in all sizes, so must the BP cuffs to obtain accurate measurements. In home health it's
cumbersome to lug around equipment, so I researched wrist cuffs and settled on the
Omron Model 637. Dubious of this new gadget, I continued my research at patient's homes for
3 months, first measuring an arm cuff pressure, waiting a few minutes, and then taking a
wrist pressure with the Omron device. The results of my little research project convinced me
of the accuracy and convenience of this product.
I take blood pressures on a variety of arm sizes. I can now leave the large and small adult
arm cuffs in my car trunk, just in case. In 2 years, I hadn't needed them until recently. A few
weeks ago, thieves broke into my car trunk, and stole my nursing bag which contained the
Omron cuff. And here I am, buying another one just as fast as I can. Stay away from the
drug store models; I tried them briefly and they don't compare in reliability.
P.S. Thank you to my patients who allowed me to test this product. Many of my patients are
delighted with this product calling it "cool, " "nifty," etc., and call their family members to
take a look. Many have since bought this Omron HEM-637.
Customer Review: Wrist Blood Pressure Monitoring
Summary: 2 Stars
Although I have used many electronic cuff devices in the past, this is one of the worst at providing accurate readings.
Firstly, the cuff is not adequate for very small or larger wrists and the readings are often lower than what you would get if the blood pressure were taken manually the traditional way.
In a clinical setting, it is important that you get adequate readings so that the patient can receive the proper treatment based on their readings. It is imperative since you may or may not give medication depending on what you recive via the blood pressure measurement. I have taken a blood pressure manually after getting what I considered a questionable reading only to discover that the wrist blood pressure was far too low and more aggressive measures had to be taken because of the data that was retrieved the old fashioned way. Imagine had I taken the initial reading as truth and the patient may have had a stroke as a result.
As a rule, I never recommend using these devices for at home use because of the risk of false readings. Many people who suffer from hypertension feel that this is a good way of monitoring their blood pressure when in actuality it is giving them a false sense of security.
If you are considering buying this product for at home use or for use in a clinical setting, please ask your doctor or nurse for their opinions.
Customer Review: Thumbs up from me
Summary: 4 Stars
I was kind of concerned about spending this much on this item considering how many others are less expensive but after reading the reviews of all the available models I wanted to stand the best chance at getting one that was reliable and accurate and this one looked to be it. Not only has that been the case but when you talk about ease of use I can't see how it could get any easier then this model. You press a button to let it know you're ready and it shows arrows (up or down) to let you know if you need to raise your hand more or less to be at heart level. Once it's right on it starts automatically, it gives the results in a large easy to read display, and your done.
It seems to be made very well although since I don't own one of the $40 monitors I can't say how it compares in that respect to those. It comes with a plastic case to store it in when not in use also by the way which is kind of handy.
This may be overpriced in comparison to one of the other wrist monitors but it works well and is accurate when tested against arm cuff models so I'm confident in my purchase of this quality item.
Customer Review: Nice device!
Summary: 5 Stars
After being diagnosed with mild hypertension, I wanted a device that I could take with me everywhere. A standard arm cuff is a bit too bulky. My physician recommended against a wrist monitor, but I still looked around. I found an article in the American Journal of Hypertension which compared the HEM-637 with a standard cuff and found that it agreed quite well when used with the APS. So I went ahead and got it. Amazon came through again with a very prompt delivery even with the Super Saver free shipping. And I haven't been disappointed with the monitor. It has been giving me very stable and consistent readings (I periodically cross-check with my wife's arm cuff). The monitor is nicely made and is very easy to use. I only wish that the US model was supplied with the USB cable and software, as the European version is. I would very much like to be able to download the readings to a spreadsheet. The monitor does have a nice graphing feature itself, allowing you to look at a week's worth of readings, either all, or only the mornings or only the evenings, so the lack would only result in a half a ding...