Home blood pressure monitors allow patients to take readings in the comfort of their homes. This is important because blood pressure readings can fluctuate several times a day, so multiple readings are necessary to get an accurate picture of a person's blood pressure. Omron is a manufacturer of home blood pressure monitors and have many different models.
BP 710
The BP 710 home blood pressure monitor is one of the less expensive upper arm models sold by the Omron company. This model, which retails on their website for $49.99 as of September 2010, features the company's Intelisense technology. The Intelisense feature is designed to detect if excessive body motion is making it hard for the machine to get an accurate reading. This model is able to accommodate arms that are between 9- and 13-inches in circumference, though a larger cuff can be purchased for bigger arms. It is able to store 14 readings, which allows patients to easily keep track of their last several measurements.
HEM 700 Series
Omron also makes a variety of home blood pressure monitors in their HEM 700 series, Scales Galore explains. These monitors are all automatic and include the Intellisense technology. They also have cuffs that are designed for arms that are between 9- and 17-inches in diameter. The different cuffs differ mainly in the features that they offer; some of the models have different types of blood pressure cuffs which are designed for greater comfort or easier application. They also offer the ability to store old readings, though the number of readings that each device can store varies from 21 and 200 readings. One monitor, the HEM 790-IT, measures the blood pressure three times with a minute gap between each reading. It then displays the average of the readings to help correct for momentary fluctuations.
HEM 600 Series
The HEM 600 series of home blood pressure monitors are designed to be used on the wrist. Wrist blood pressure monitors, though easier to use, are often less accurate because they are easily affected by changes in arm position. The HEM 600 series contains a sensor which detects whether or not the arm is positioned properly before the device can be used. The HEM 650 can hold up to 90 measurements in its memory, whereas the more expensive HEM 670 IT can hold 100 measurements. The latter also has the ability to measure blood pressure three times over a few minutes.
