Blood Pressure

[lindyloo59]

My husbands blood pressure today was 109/91 he had persistent AF could this condition cause this reading. He takes bisoprolol and digoxin.

Thanks

[CDreamer]

I would be more than happy with that reading but then that would be high for my norm!

What would it normally be? It may be considered a little low for most people - norm is considered 120/90 but don’t know too many people with that perfect score!

BP is dynamic so will go and up and down all the time so it is a good practice when monitoring to take 3 readings a few moments apart and take the average of the 3 as the reading to note.

What is your concern? Systolic - dystolic reading or the difference between the 2? Or a change in normal reading?

Was it a one off reading or an average of 3?

If he is in persistent AF are you using a machine that recognises AF?

Most BP machiness don’t give good readings if you are in AF,

Sorry it’s gone into italics - haven’t a clue how nor how to change it so please forgive and don’t read anything into that?

Bisoprolol as a Beta Blocker will affect BP normally lowering it but the one and only positive it did for me was to help stabilise my very low BP as it would drop like a stone to less than 60/40 in AF at which point it became impossible to lift my head off the pillow.

Are there any change in symptoms?

If you are concerned the obviously check with your doctor for any significant change in your normal readings but for a one off reading, personally I wouldn’t take much note, it could be a new trend.

[Hidden in reply to CDreamer]

Re italics

On my iPad using the website, my keyboard at top right has toggles for bold, italics, underline and caret or circumflex.

[CDreamer in reply to Hidden]

Nope not mine.....

[momist in reply to CDreamer]

If you are on a normal keyboard, you might have caught 'Control+i' when you wanted 'Shift+I'?

[CDreamer in reply to momist]

It’s iPad so has a mind of its own!

[RichMert in reply to CDreamer]

Ditto, the blood pressure machine not giving an accurate reading during AF. The Doctor educated the nurses at my bedside as to the correct way to check BP during AF. Please note, retail supplied BP machines warn you not to take BP during AF event. (well mine did)

[rosyG in reply to CDreamer]

Interesting - maybe more accurate if a high reading. I have a Lloyd’s pharmacy monitor and it read the same as these ambulance staff’s machine but my BP was high- of course theirs might have same problem with AF patients.

[Hidden]

When I was first diagnosed and joined this forum, one of the volunteers (not BobD) suggested I should get my wife to lock the monitor in the shed at the end of the garden and hide the key. As CD says, most monitors do not work when in AF and beta blockers tend to reduce BP. The only accurate way to have it checked is by using one of the older style glass tube/mercury (very long name which I can never remember) and someone on the forum recently said they had been banned because of the mercury content!

Not an overly helpful reply I’m afraid, but it would be helpful to know if any members possess a monitor which claims to function correctly when in AF.

[CDreamer in reply to Hidden]

The modern ones alert you to an irregular heart rate - the display turns amber or red on mine - but still wouldn’t completely trust the BP reading but if you take 3 readings it seems to be somewhere near.

[Hidden in reply to CDreamer]

Yes, my Omron does that and I was just looking at the Microlife webpage which detects AF but I haven’t seen anything about the accuracy of the readings. Maybe we could persuade Dyson to take up the challenge!!

[Spoiler]

I have a regular electronic BP machine and when I am in persitent afib it is not at all accurate, not even close.

[George2467814]

My Omron machine has a heart symbol that stays steady but if irreg heart beat it flashes If irreg beat is very erratic it closes down showing EEEEE.