Omron HEM-650 Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor with APS (Advanced Positioning Sensor)
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List Price: Our Price: $69.95 You Save: $19.05 (21%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Health Care See more product details |
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Product Reviews of Omron HEM-650 Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor with APS (Advanced Positioning Sensor)
Product Review: Erratic...and unacceptable
Summary: 1 Stars
This product is totally unsatisfactory as a health monitoring aid. The results are erratic and not reproducible. It gives WIDELY different readings on left and right wrists (Yes, I changed the calibration as directed.). It does not agree even "in the ballpark" with an automatic arm cuff model OR a manual cuff/stethoscope. The much-vaunted APS system is a joke, inflating and registering only at crotch-level when on the right wrist!?! Steer clear of this product; mine was returned after a very frustrating afternoon of trying to get it to do ANYTHING in a repeatable fashion.Product Review: Omron HEM-650 wrist monitor works exellent AFTER you get the hang of it!
Summary: 5 Stars
Once you understand the "Heart Monitor" function and how to position your wrist/forearm and lightly support it with your other hand it works each and every time flawlessly. I just let it automatically "record" each check with It's memory function. Then any time I want to, I just press the memory button repeatedly and scroll through the last 90 pressure tests with date and even the time taken displayed. I have also taken it to the doctor to let him scroll too.
As far as the "Rhetoric" I have heard in my clinic about wrist units not being as good as arm units, well, that may or maynot be true. But people like me are not using them in a Hospital/Clinic environment, we simply need to keep an eye on things. When I can scroll through the previous 90 tests, I think anyone would be hard pressed to say it's dangerously innaccurate if at all, and isn't doing just what it's designed for.
As for Function it gets an A++ over ANY arm unit. Sitting on my couch I can reach over and grab my wrist unit in it's small plastic box (small enough by the way to just leave it right there on the end table at all times. Arm units not so sure?) slip the unit over my wrist with no gyrating on an arm. I then move my wrist across my chest (like pledge of allegiance)and that's it. What could be easier for home use. Certainly not an arm unit!
As far as OMRON goes, they are rated good in CR. I am pleased I got my HEM-650 I do not wish I had a free "do over" because, I'd get the same one!
Product Review: Works great!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great little product. I take my blood pressure every evening. The big numbers are easy to read. Remember to read the instructions and hold onto your elbow while holding the monitor up to your heart. Love it!Product Review: Very convenient
Summary: 4 Stars
The HEM-650 is very convenient because you don't have to take clothing off to reach a bare upper arm. It does take some experience to get a reading, however. With a pressure cuff and stethoscope you can get an accurate reading on almost anyone, not this device. Frequently it takes a while to get it to start to register as you raise and lower the patient's wrist to a level the monitor accepts. I also found it just won't start on some thick wrists. With most people it works fine. Product 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.