New type of blood pressure device.

[Alphakiwi]

I was at the chemist yesterday and i noticed a blood pressure device on the counter. It claims to be also an ECG, if i read the label correctly.Anyone know about this.

[Buzby62]

Hi, have a look at products on the Omron website, they have a model called Complete, it connects to a smartphone via an app for the ECGs. I guess other manufacturers have them too but not seen any.

Best wishes

[Carew in reply to Buzby62]

Just to note:

12 months FREE trial OMRON connect premium and then pay £6.66 per month*

AND

The AFib detection feature is not included in the 1 Year Free Premium OMRON connect promotion with OMRON Complete.

amazon.co.uk/Complete-Press...

Obviously, read carefully and make sure you know what you are, or are not, getting and how much it really costs.

[jeanjeannie50]

I've just Googled blood pressure machine with ECG and it's shown me quite a few. I must admit I didn't know they existed.

Thank you for making us aware.

Jean

[Desanthony]

I didn't know they existed but glad they do for others who may need one and next time I need one shall definitely buy one like this. I have one I bought a few years ago probably 6 yers ago now, that does tell me if I am in AF or not but sometimes it tells me I am not when I know I am and I then check with Kardia and it tells me "the truth" I had not seen any of these but then don't spend time looking around a Chemist's shop and haven't actively been looking online either. Glad to see from other people's answers that there seem to be quite a few more out there so will have to advise people who ask me to look for them.

[Cavalierrubie]

Thank you for that helpful information. I didn’t know these were around.

[Ppiman]

I tried two of these having been asked to review them and they worked very well indeed and might well be useful to some people, in the end, I prefer two separate devices as it was a bit of a faff to use them for ECG.

The Apple Watch is the way to go in my view, for heart beat and rate issues, as it’s so wonderfully versatile, always on and at the ready. I also use a Wellue 24-hour AI ECG device. The Kardia, of course, is also highly regarded.

Steve

[Qualipop in reply to Ppiman]

What is there that can be used on other types of watches/phones? There's noway I could afford an apple. My phones a rather out of date Samsung running on android. I do need a newer one but it certainly won't be apple.

[Blearyeyed in reply to Qualipop]

There is a lot of debate about watches , no matter which brand they are.Current medical research of watches suggests they are not accurate for medically significant readings of BP and cuff monitors should still be used by people with health conditions, and that watches with single lead ECG are not as accurate as using a Kardia for evaluating aFib and those results need to be compared to a result from a Kardia or medical grade ECG too.

So , personally I wouldn't be getting a second mortgage and running to the Apple Store yet.

Especially if you have conditions that affect your heart rate as well like Tachycardia Syndromes , POTs or Bradycardia.

Watch readings are based around algorithms for the generally healthy population not those that have cardiac rhythm problems , so BP readings can be very inaccurate and too high for those with heart rate issues but generally low to normal blood pressure.

Investing in a NHS recommended BP machine with cuff , and are Kardia , also recommended for use by the NHS if you require one ( and prescribed in some cases) is a better option.

You can always get a basic watch to monitor your heart rate and activity levels each day as this is very useful to help you know when to take rest and breathing breaks during activity or exercise.

[Qualipop in reply to Blearyeyed]

I've edited my post; should have said watch or phone. I would never trust anything like that for BP. I have an Omron monitor but when I have a bout of arrhythmia the BP machine can't even get a reading so a basic ECG may be helpful to show to a doctor, just to back up what I'm feeling. I do know the limitations.

[Lifford in reply to Blearyeyed]

If it wasn't for my Apple Watch I would not have known I had an irregular heart beat which was subsequently confirmed as AF.

[Alphakiwi in reply to Lifford]

If i was you i would ignor if i font feel anything is wrong. I wouldof course live as healthy as could and avoiding things and activities that may be triggers. Try to ignore that watch to often .i know its not easy to do. Take care and all the best. that

[Alphakiwi in reply to Qualipop]

Thae one i saw at the chemist shop was 80NZ. St JohnsKINETIK WELLBEING. Fully automatic

[Ppiman in reply to Qualipop]

There's an equivalent Samsung Watch, and second hand are good value (that's what I did initially). A s/h iPhone 8 with an Apple Watch from Series 4, bought from, say CeX in town or Music Magpie online, for example are trustworthy. There are other devices, but I don't know about them. Others here might tell you better.

The lowest priced home ECG is the Wellue handheld AI monitor at about £70.00 direct from them, but it needs a mobile phone to use the AI. I have one of these. It works with Apple or Samsung phones.

The Apple Watch is approved by health authorities and can be trusted for home use, as can the Kardia or the Samsung. In reality, you aren't wanting a medical grade device, just some idea of what's happening to the ticker.

In fact, really, all you need is your finger on your pulse. If it's racing when it shouldn't be, and doesn't slow when resting, then I'd say the chances are that's being caused by your AF. I just prefer to use a device as a bit of comfort, really.

Steve

[Alphakiwi in reply to Ppiman]

I seem to be a bit different with afllutter, my hr is always in bradycardia it seems about 59 and my pacemaker is set to 60.

[Ppiman in reply to Alphakiwi]

How are you coping? I had AFl in 2019 but with a fast rate. I found it very hard going and was grateful for my ablation in June that year. Flutter was said to be a special case of arrhythmia, one that creates a specific and fixed range of possible heart rates, each able to change in a stepwise fashion between fixed ratios of the atrial flutter rate, which is around 300bpm. Hence the heart rate during AFl can be 300bpm (i.e. fortunately rare 1:1 conduction, and unsafe); mine was 150bpm (i.e. 2:1); with bisoprolol mine slowed, thankfully, to 100bpm (3:1), then with digoxin, it fell further, and at last I began to feel a bit better, to 60bpm (5:1) and sometimes, at nighttime especially, to 50bpm (6:1).

In your case, with pacing, I'm guessing that things might be different, but 59bpm is either the set rate or might be 5:1 conduction.

Steve

[Alphakiwi in reply to Ppiman]

Ive often wondered how it works. My PM is set to 60. The meds i take apparently control it above that,so is my own natural pm and my implant having a little fight sometimes ?Ive just this week changed from diltiazem 120 once a day to verapamil 40 x3 times a day and 1 at night if needed. The diltiazem is slow release. The diltizem just has so many side effects. So far the verapamil has no side effects. Time will tell of course.

[Ppiman in reply to Alphakiwi]

I asked the heart specialist I saw on Tuesday about my changing to diltiazem or similar but he said that he always feels that bisoprolol was the best choice. I was surprised, but didn't question why, so, with my arrhythmia worsening (mostly ectopics but also AF), he said to double my dose from 1.25mg to 2.5mg, and adding that I could take more so long as my resting rate stayed reasonable.

Steve