Blood Pressure

IFU’s or Instructions for Use, sometimes called Owner’s Manuals or simply Operating Instructions, are everywhere. From the one-page sheet that comes with a new table lamp to the one-pound tome included with your new flat-screen TV, there’s no escaping them. And when you’re talking about medical devices, the importance of reading the IFU’s can't be overstated.

A hypertension self-management program resulted in a meaningful reduction in systolic blood pressure values in high risk patients, according to a study published in the Journal Of the American Medical Association. In the study, a group of patients were instructed to monitor at home and were trained to adjust their own medication dosages based on their readings.

Our website is jam packed with detailed product images, descriptions, and sales materials. Our learning center, including FAQs, walks consumers through product use, care, and maintenance. But nothing matches the helpfulness of a well-planned how-to video, and we’re committed to expanding our video portfolio so all our products are as easy to use as possible.

According to new research published in the AHA’s journal Hypertension, home blood pressure monitoring kits can saving insurance companies money by improving healthcare quality and reducing healthcare costs. Researchers found that for each dollar invested in home monitoring kits, insurance companies could expect a return on investment of $.85 to $3.75 in the first year.

Okay, blood pressure probably isn’t that much fun, and hypertension is downright somber. But just because this key vital sign is serious doesn’t mean the device that measures BP – the sphygmomanometer – can’t be fun. So say hello to our new Designer Cuff series, five prints that can help put a smile on the face of even the most harried practitioner or nervous patient.

Unlike choosing a stethoscope, where the selection often comes down to personal preference and budget, aneroid sphygmomanometers are produced in vastly different designs for fairly specific applications. Let’s start by identifying the three basic aneroid designs: pocket, palm, and clock. These descriptions refer to the gauge portion of the instrument.

The Joint National Committee, comprised of professionals from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, has, after years of study, raised the suggested values for drug therapy prescriptions to treat hypertension. The new guidelines raise the threshold for patients over 60 to 150/90 and for younger hypertensive patients to 140/90.

More than five years ago we introduced our Advantage Plus and Ultra digital home blood pressure monitors with average mode technology. One of the most important recent innovations in home BP measurement, the feature averages three consecutive measurements, minimizing variability, reducing operator anxiety, and resulting in more meaningful data for the practitioner.

This past April, the World Health Organization celebrated its annual World Health Day. Each year, the WHO highlights a different global health concern, and the focus this year is on controlling high blood pressure. They explain how hypertension is both preventable and treatable and provide guidance on how stakeholders can reduce hypertension and its impact.

May was established as National Hypertension Education Month and for good reason: the statistics are alarming. Nearly 1/3 of U.S. adults – 68 million of us – suffer from high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. The good news is hypertension can be controlled and even prevented. But first we must understand what we can do to lower our values.