Blood pressure monitoring with home monitors versus mercury sphygmomanometer

OBJECTIVE: To determine the accuracy of three automatic monitors (arm, wris t, finger) for blood pressure measurement manufactured a by Omron compared with a standard mercury sphygmomanometer. PRIMARY END POINT: Difference in the mean blood pressure readings from each monitor; the secondary end point was difference in pulse readings. DESIGN: A single-visit, crossover trial tested each device twice on the lef t arm of each participant; the average of the two readings was recorded. Th e pulse readings from each monitor were also recorded. ANOVA was used to co mpare mean blood pressure readings and pulse readings from each device. RESULTS: A total of 55 persons (mean age 53 y; 36 women) met inclusion crit eria and completed the study. The mean systolic and diastolic readings obta ined from the electronic arm unit were comparable to the mercury readings ( 124.4/78.02 vs. 129.45/77.87 mm Hg, respectively; p > 0.05 for both reading s). The mean results obtained from the wrist and finger monitors differed s ignificantly from those of the mercury readings (145.44/89.58 and 113.94/69 .07 mm Hg, respectively; p < 0.05 for both monitors compared with decontrol ). No difference was measured in the mean pulse readings between the compar isons (p = 0.72). The absolute difference in systolic and diastolic blood p ressure readings from control varied the least with the arm monitor. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the mercury sphygmomanometer, the arm monitor wa s the most accurate in measuring blood pressure, The wrist and finger monit ors resulted in statistically significant mean systolic and diastolic diffe rences compared with the mercury sphygmomanometer.