Omron 7 Series Wireless Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor

Omron 7 series wrist blood pressure monitor.

Summary:
I feel it is an excellent instrument and works very well, provided one follows all necessary steps, see them itemized below.
(though arm monitor might be more strait forward to use, but would require a short sleeve clothes):

1. All the instructions provided.
2. The cuff is tight but you can still squeeze your index finger under it.
3. Your elbow is resting on a hard surface, so vibrations from your heart are not dampened by a soft pillow under your elbow.
4. If you do everything right, and it will report 2 or more consecutive measurements that are not the same, it is likely due to the fact that your blood pressure actually changed. Note: manufacturer specifies +/- 2 counts of accuracy, and I believe it. This guarantees that if your BP is the same, you should not get a variation more than 4 counts. Note: not all monitors have such specification.
5. My blood pressure improved enough from eating food that is not salted or is salted extremely lightly, that I did not need medication. And my medication had proved very detrimental to my health, so this was not a small accomplishment for me.

Details:
My objective was to buy a RELIABLE blood pressure measuring instrument that was EASY TO USE, so I can make measurements at will (hense a wrist monitor, instead of an arm monitor), and use it to give me feedback from foods I eat to blood pressure that results from eating those foods.

Note: I already had a no name (not certified, like omron) wrist blood pressure monitor that worked well for me for some time. But now the old monitor was not being consistent, so I was looking for one I could trust. To qualify “working well”, it means: when I just bought it, I made several measurements in a row, and they were all consistent. I then exercised, and repeated the measurements, and those were elevated, as I expected them to be.

Before making the measurement
I read all the directions and followed them. At least I am under such an impression. I am writing this review to possibly help the community. But some significant time has passed, and I am doing it from memory. And I don’t want to re-read directions to verify if I indeed followed all of them. But from memory, I did. I specifically remember wanting to follow the directions and reading them.

However, I was not getting very consistent results.

I called the manufacturer’s help number to see if they could help me find a fault with my technique, before returning the monitor.

The fellow on the phone indeed had helped me. With his help I discovered
1. One thing that was locking in my technique.
2. One thing that was helpful for consistency.

1.
The thing that was locking in my technique was that the elbow is supposed to rest on a hard surface. This is because the instrument is trying to detect vibration from your heart, as you heart is doing it’s job. Those vibrations are faint, and can not be muffled by something soft under your elbow.

!!!!!!
I wish that Omron would have explained this clearly in the instructions.
!!!!!!

I think Omron does say that the instrument is oscillometric, which means it works based on heart vibration (which definition I initially did not know). But I believe they stop there. And for me, it was not clear that it means I need to keep my elbow on a hard surface to allow vibrations to propagate better.
2.
The thing that was helpful was how to tighten the cuff so it is not too loose or too tight, which is an absolute prerequisite for a successful measurement. Namely it should be really tight, but I should still be able to jam my index finger under the cuff, but not too easily.

After I followed all the directions, including the 2 new suggestions I had learned, then I was able to get consistent results.

But I had learned several things that allowed me to deviate from directions but still to get consistent results, consistent enough anyway.

The reason I wanted to deviate from specific omron directions is so I can make measurements in comfort and quickly.

Here are my findings.
Note: I determined these findings by measuring my BP under ideal conditions for at least 5 times, and then comparing those readings to readings I would get under less ideal conditions, of which I would also repeat 5 times.
1.
I could have long sleeve shirts and even a sweatshirt (this all happened when it was still cold, and I just found enough time to share this now, summer), but not super spongy sweatshirt, as far as sweatshirts go. But I did try to put my weight on my elbow, to “squeeze” through the shirt to the hard surface, so as not to dampen vibrations.
2.
I did not have to sit straight and upright. I was able to sit on my sofa, and lean on a sofa arm rest.
3.
My sofa has a soft arm rest. So I took a small, but kind of deep(ish) ceramic plate (for eating food), and placed it under my elbow, and leaned on it, to push it down, so it would not dampen vibrations from my heart. And amazingly this too worked, well enough, anyway.

I kept that little plate handy.
All this had allowed me to make fairly reliable BP measurements
Quickly,
Without having to take my shirts off
Without having to find a hard flat surface
Doing it right on my sofa, where I was anyway.

Additional info:
From this experiment I had learned that if I cook my own food, and use no salt, or a minimal amount of salt, my BP was in good range.
Note1: my BP became a concern to me and my doctor for no more than 1 year. Because at my check-up one year prior, my BP was still ok. The reason I say this is because if someone has BP that is in a worse condition than mine, maybe simply reducing salt in their diet may not be enough. But it worked for me.
Note2: learning this was not straightforward, because the effect from food to BP measurement can be delayed. So it took a while to figure this out.
Note3: I also learned that your actual blood pressure can change during the measurement process, and Omron 7 will pick it up. So this means that if you follow all the directions for getting a consistent measurement, it may not look consistent simply because it actually changes inside your body.

I normally don’t get reliable readings from a wrist monitor. If the fit isn’t absolutely perfect for that particular reading, I usually get abnormally high results. I decided to try this new Omron wrist meter after experiencing good results with an Omron 10 series wrist meter.

I like the thin sculpted styling of this meter. It’s thinner and much better looking than the older box style Omron meters. The silent inflation is an awesome feature. I can’t even tell the meter is running until I feel the pressure tightening on my wrist. It’s great for taking a reading when you don’t want to disturb others like a sleeping spouse. One major downside is the lack of a back-light. This meter may not wake a sleeping spouse with noise but the need for an external light to see the screen sure might. The contrast also isn’t the greatest so a back-light, especially a reverse style back-light like that on my old Omron BP786, would be fantastic.

Accuracy is still a mixed bag but I knew that going in. If I don’t position the meter exactly right, I’ll get readings 10-15 points above what my upper arm meters indicate. I got this meter primarily for readings on the go, so my options are limited. I really don’t want to haul around a full size meter everywhere I go. If I position the meter just right, I’ll usually get readings that are correct or within a couple points of what I believe to be correct based on my history and other meters. The good news is that it returns accurate results most times I use the meter. It’s also pretty obvious when the meter isn’t on my wrist in the optimal position. When it’s off, it’s WAY off. If I get results within a few points of my normal readings, I know it’s on my wrist in an optimal position. If I get results that are 10, 15 or more points higher than normal, I know it wasn’t in the correct position.

Operation is pretty straightforward. The meter applies easily to either wrist. I don’t like the new curved shape of the wrist band. If I’m not careful, I’ll sometimes put the meter on crooked due to following the band instead of the orientation of the meter itself. Basic operation is just like my older Omron meters. I put the meter on, push the start button and wait until I hear the air escape and the band slackens. Omron placed a dedicated Bluetooth button on the rear. I no longer use the transfer/clock button on the front. I like the change because I’d always forget how to enter pairing mode with the old style meters. Pairing is much more intuitive with the new Bluetooth button. The button can also turn Bluetooth off if necessary. No more removing batteries to disable Bluetooth in areas where it is prohibited. This meter also includes a handy hard carrying case for safe transport in a bag or purse.

The Omron app is new and apparently developed by Alivecor now. I don’t know what the relationship is between Omron and Alivecor but I like the combining of the two. I also have a Kardia EKG device and it’s great to sync both devices in a single app. Thankfully, my old Omron login still works and I still see my results from years past. The app can be a little funky at times. I’ll occasionally receive an error message that there are no new results or that the app can’t find the meter when I try to sync. Despite the error, it’ll sometimes sync anyway. I get the same issues with my new upper arm Omron meter. That makes me believe the app is the culprit rather than the device. Hopefully, the minor bugs will be addressed in future app updates.

Overall, I like this new Omron 7. It’s not perfect but it’s good enough for what I need. My wrists are not an ideal spot for blood pressure readings but I can make it work if I adjust the fit of the cuff. It may sound overly simple but I’ve tried doing the same with cheaper no-name meters and always got absurdly high results no matter how much I adjusted the cuff. I have the confidence to travel with this meter and feel comfortable with the results.

Es el segundo Omron que compro, es bueno para tener en casa y poder medir la presión en cualquier momento facilmente. Siento que no es tan exacto y me gustaría saber donde los puede uno llevar a revisar porque el anterior no funciona, aunque le cambie las pilas por nuevas.

Wrist BP cuffs may be a bit off in their readings, but it’s worth estimating the difference when you can use the device so much more easily. Trying to take your own BP is not easy and often takes multiple tries. The wrist cuffs eliminate that issue. We have tried three brands and this is by far the best in terms of ease of use, accuracy, and digital display. It’s quite easy to put on. After slipping your hand through the strap, you secure it with velcro and turn it on. Keeping quiet and keeping your elbow bent so that the device is above your heart, the reading appears quietly and quickly. There is a memory so two people can use it and keep a record of their scores separately. If this one had to be replaced, I would buy another one just like it.

El dispositivo NO lo reconoce para la app en Mexico y NO puedo devolver el producto.