Testing blood pressure monitors

Published: August 27, 2008
Updated: October 10, 2008

Blood pressure is a vital sign often checked once a year in a doctor’s office. But home monitoring can stave off serious complications like heart disease and stroke.

Consumer Reports tested two types—ones that go around the upper arm and those that go around the wrist. Trained medical technicians checked for accuracy by collecting 6,000 readings from 57 men and women. They compared the results against a professional monitor like those used in doctors’ offices.

In all, the tests covered 16 devices, ranging in price from $40 to $150. There was also the Duo-Care monitor—which sells for $70 and measures blood pressure as well as blood-glucose levels for diabetics. It was good for measuring blood-glucose levels, but it didn’t perform as well when measuring blood pressure.

Monitors that wrap around the upper arm generally proved the most accurate. Consumer Reports named one a Best Buy—the ReliOn Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor, which sells at Wal-Mart for $40.

Consumer Reports says make sure the blood-pressure cuff fits your upper arm. For the ReliOn Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor, you’ll need to buy a larger cuff if your upper arm circumference is between 13 and 17 inches. That larger cuff costs $10 at Wal-Mart.

You don’t need a prescription to buy a blood-pressure monitor.

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