Omron HEM-650 Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor with APS (Advanced Positioning Sensor)
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Customer Reviews of Omron HEM-650 Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor with APS (Advanced Positioning Sensor)
Customer Review: Inconsistent and inaacurate compared to manual measurement
Summary: 1 Stars
Quick hit: Avoid this unit, unless you are ready to return it. The unit I got is consistently inaccurate, and even worse, its an inconsistent error, so I cannot even "just subtract X". The measurment errors are all to the high side, ranging 5-15 high for systolic and 10-20+ high for the diastolic.
Long story:
I checked it for accuracy with the help of my wife, who was an Army medic, and now a nursing student (and I was a nursing student and got my CNA license as a volunteer):
Here is our method: We took the BP with the Omron wrist unit, then we wait 4 minutes, take the BP with her stethoscope and manual cuff, then wait 4 minutes and repeat the Omron wrist unit. We have even taken BP manually on the other arm to cross check. This was repeated for 3 days in the morning, late afternoon and evening. We even tried this with an RN friend, and with the professional auto-BP unit at the hospital. Different conditions but the same poor results. The only consistency we found is that this unit delivers inaccurate and inconsistent results.
The systolic runs 5-15 high, and has a strong tendency to run about 10 high. If you subtract 12-ish, the systolic seems to be ok in terms of consistently wrong by the same amount.
But that's not the worst of it; the Diastolic measurement is the real problem. It is very alarming to see a diastolic of 100+ if you don't know of the error! But not only is it off by 10-20+ , its not consistent! In our tests, its not even consistent between test. One time it will show 150/94 (when its 135/85 manually), the next time it comes back with a 146/103! Both of them are in error, and worse, it is a huge swing between the diastolic measurements. Just 8 minutes apart (with a manual check in between)
I *know* my physiological response is very strong and very dramatic - at the start and at the end, so much so that when I was in nursing school, the other students always got me to be the "patient" because my pulse and response are very obvious and strong at the top, and dramatic quick dropoff for the diastolic. That may be the issue - my responses are so strong and dramatic that it may fool the algorithm build into this which probably assume weaker responses. Also I have bigger than average arms and wrists, so that may be a factor as well. We did find that the readings tended to be lower (closer to manual) if we really cranked down the Omron cuff (but even then they were still >10 high)
If you are male, and have large wrists and arms, and have a very strong response and easy to read BP (ask the next time someone takes you BP), then avoid this unit and possibly try one of the brachial (upper arm) units.
I really cannot recommend that people to buy this one based on my experience with it.
Customer Review: It's accurate and so small you'll actually use it
Summary: 5 Stars
I have owned another omron previous to this one. It was more expensive, and had lots of bells and whistles. I ended up returning it after it stopped working 4-5 months after I purchased it, however, I am glad it crapped out because this one is a MUCH better fit for me.
I don't need bells and whistles. I don't need software, and I don't need a preformed strap (like my other omron). Moreover, I don't need a big honker of a monitor. I was initially interested in this model because of its small size. I tended to not use my other more expensive omrom because that meant getting it out, plugging it in, and then putting it away once i was finished.
The HEM-650 is tiny, much smaller that it seems in the picture, and even in its case, it's easy to keep it out of sight yet somewhere close by. For me, because it is always near by (I keep mine behind a small picture frame on my desk), I use it much more regularly than I did my previous model. And although some have had problems with its accuracy (or at least they perceived there was a problem), mine is always accurate. I think the problem for some is they didn't read the directions. Your heart rate can vary a lot throughout the day, which is why the directions say don't take your heart rate unless you haven't eaten in the last hour or so and you need to have been stationary for at least 15 minutes (like when sitting at your desk for a bit). I doubt everyone follows these rules, hence the all-over-the-place readings.
It's also important that your arm or wrist be at the same level as your heart when taking your blood pressure. With my other full size heart rate monitor, I was never sure if my arm was at the right level. This monitor solves that problem since it won't work until you get your wrist at the right level (this monitor uses your wrist pulse, not your arm). It takes a few tries though to get used to this feature. Once you get it right, however, you'll find your "sweet spot" and then you'll be putting your arm and wrist in the right position every time fairly quick. When I put mine on, I touch my right should with my fingertips and the heart rate monitor starts right up.
So I really like this heart rate monitor. I use it often because it's easy to use, small, and it seems accurate. I would definitely buy it again, especially since it's reasonably priced.
Customer Review: Great! -- with a little coaching (read on...)
Summary: 5 Stars
This small, inexpensive, very handy, quick-results unit is one of the best health-care items I've ever bought! Two simple hints will help you get great results with it (more on that in a moment).
I assumed that this little wrist cuff couldn't possibly be as accurate as the big ones, so first I tried arm-cuff models; but I still needed something more handy and so I bought the HEM-650 figuring I could return it if it didn't work well. Actually, it matches my doctor's (and my big arm-cuff's) readings perfectly. It's very portable and fast, and that means I don't skip checking my blood pressure. I can take it with me on trips, even on short walks. It's small and unobtrusive, so I can use it at work or home; it's nobody else's business that I am dealing with high blood pressure, thank ya!
Now, the two "hints":
1) Any monitor, including this one, can give slightly varying readings if the cuff is much above or much below the level of your heart. That can happen even when it's in the zone where the auto-positioning sensor (it tells you when the HEM-650 is approximately even with your heart) allows it to take your pressure. Readings can also vary a bit with changes in wrist and arm orientation.
The EASY solution: Each time, start your monitor, then just put your fingertips high on your opposite arm -- at the top, just below where it joins your shoulder. Touch the same place every time; that places the unit level with your heart, and it's always in the exact same orientation, so it gives perfectly consistent readings!
And "hot hint" 2): you should WAIT three minutes before taking your pressure a second time with any wrist cuff. An arm-cuff takes measurements from blood vessels deep in your arm, but a wrist cuff senses arteries that are very near the skin. It takes a short time for those near-surface vessels to rebound from the pressure that taking a measurement puts on 'em. So, wait! Taking it again too soon gives a shifted reading! A 3-minute wait = great results.
Minor reservation: the beeps of the position sensor are a bit faint; that's not much of a problem since there's also a clear visual indicator. Otherwise, this is a great, high-quality, very portable, quick-use monitor at a bargain price.
Customer Review: The bad reviews weren't warranted. Many were just wrong.
Summary: 4 Stars
I needed a simple, quick way to monitor an elderly family member's BP and needed one fast so I bought this vs the others it competes with. It really boiled down to this one vs the lesser model (629 I think). After reading nearly all the reviews of both models and agonizing over choosing just one, the 650 is what I chose.
It turns out that many of the complaints about its APS option were unwarranted because you can easily turn it off, or back on.
Another complaint was that it didn't show the time..also untrue, the time and date cycle one after the other. It held all the info from the last 30 readings.
Another reason I went with it was it had a specific setting for checking the pressure using the right arm, which was a necessity in my case.
We experimented with the APS and it seemed to work as stated. Not very difficult to use at all. The beeping wasn't very loud, though not a problem at home. I really don't use the APS anymore as its not hard to position it correctly after seeing where it is on the body when it automatically starts running. I did use it while taking the pressure of someone while lying down; it was picky but I felt safer using it in that situation.
If you're on the fence you might do what I did and download the owner's manuals for the models you're considering. That really clarified a lot of the negative reviews I saw. Especially the capability of turning off the APS and the Wrist Positioning features, which you don't need after just a few uses.
One drawback was not being able to delete individual readings from memory or being able to record the readings for more than one person. Not a big concern in my case.
Bottom line: Worth the few extra bucks for the bells and whistles, given that they can very easily be turned off, or back on.
If in doubt, DOWNLOAD THE MANUALS FROM THE OMRON WEBSITE..its free.
Update: Looks like the price difference between the 629 and the 650 is a bit wider now. Might not be worth the extra dollars if you don't need the extra features. I'd think the actual innards of both models are the same, the difference only being the APS and irregular heart rate features.
Customer Review: Easy To Use......Tested Correct
Summary: 5 Stars
I decided to buy this monitor for I got tired of getting erratic results from drugstore monitors, as well as stopping by the local treatment center that is always busy. I'm happy to say that this monitor is very easy to use, even for those of you that get the willies about learning anything new. I predict that just about anyone will be knowledgeable and comfortable with this in under 20 minutes. The biggest learning experience with it will be tackling the APS that can be a little sensitive at times. But within a few minutes it will come to you like riding a bike did. And you will wonder how it is you could never do it before, for it now comes so easily. The bottom line with any blood pressure monitor is of course its accuracy. Any monitor that is off enough to give you consistent false results doesn't do you much good no matter how easy it is to use. I decided to test the unit since I was getting very good results on it for my own blood pressure, and I wanted to make sure it was correct before I got to proud of myself. So I collaborated with a nurse who is a neighbor of mine who volunteered to take my BP with her trusty stethoscope and cuff. Old fashioned now by todays space age standards, but still the most accurate, and most popular testing system at your local doctors office. She took my pressure a few minutes after taking it with the Omron about a half a dozen times over a couple of days. I am happy to say that each time the reading was never more than about 5 points off either way. Usually it was within 1 or 2 points. As far as I am concerned a very successful accuracy rate. With all due respect to the other reviewers here that seem to have accuracy problems with theirs, I believe in most cases its due to not positioning their arm correctly, or in rare circumstances a defective unit. All I can tell you is my tested out very accurately. And that was with my BP being tested with a cuff within a couple of minutes of the Omron, and not after running across town to the doctors office. I recommend the Omron 650 for both its accuracy and ease of use. Its all the unit I feel anyone should ever need....