Vascular health check

[Paul12]

I have seen vascular health check monitors on Amazon for £50 or so.

Are they accurate? Reliable?

Is this a check up one should ask the GP to do?

What can be done with the information?

Is this a better check up than a lipid profile?

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

Can you post a link please? The one I saw on Amazon looked dubious!

[Paul12 in reply to MichaelJH]

I am not asking about a particular model rather the product in general. Here is a link to a model: betterlifehealthcare.com/bl...

[Paul12 in reply to Paul12]

And

amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01BF4...

[Chappychap]

You can easily check your own pulse (google BHF pulse for a useful video on how to go about it).

And unless you have some respiratory illness then your blood oxygen level is almost certainly stable and satisfactory, in other words once you're out of hospital blood oxygen is not likely to be an issue for heart conditions as opposed to lung conditions.

And they're the two things that these meters certainly are capable of doing.

But this additional claimed functionality, ie checking for atherosclerosis and monitoring/quantifying the condition of your arteries. Well, that just sounds like a load of old cobblers to me!

So, unless someone here can make a convincing biological argument for how pulse and blood oxygen can possibly triangulate to arterial health, then I'd suggest you leave that fifty quid in your pocket!

[Hidden in reply to Chappychap]

It seems respiratory and cardiac conditions often go hand in hand, though. They are not entirely separate entities, in fact, as organs are all connected and things need to be looked at holistically If one organ goes wrong, it can, or it may/might affect other organs (i.e. stroke and cardiac disease).

I have known people, who have got diagnosed COPD, found to have cardiac valve problems at the same time (showed up on the same scan by accident). There are many underlying conditions and these could be related. I thought I mention it, knowing your usual high-quality research skills.

I have also seen the product, "vascular health meter". I also think it's fake as Michael seems to think unless it's a doppler or something. Amazon or eBay ought to monitor those fake health equipment ads in my personal opinion.

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Chappychap]

Have to agree totally with this analysis. The arteries that can block are many and varied; leg arteries, cardiac arteries and cartoid (neck) arteries to name a few. The Doppler my podiatrist used to check circulation in the legs and feet cost many thousands. IMHO these are little more than toys!

[pinnelli]

As the others suggest this sounds unlikely to me. My cardiologist said only way to know is an angiogram . Plus similar to Apple Watch etc claims you want to see if they have been approved by the country’s relevant medical devices certification body which I’d doubt these devices have

[IanGordon]

Fully agree with previous posts. Really just a blood oxometer with £50 worth of milseading and inaccurate hype. Personally, I was using a cheap version of this to monitor my blood oxygen levels in the weeks , post AVR.

Invariably 95% + but interesting to see the marginal improvement as I got my fitness levels back. And I'm a gadget junky!

[Paul12]

Why were you monitoring blood oxygen levels?