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My running joke about blood pressure is that I know mine is relatively low, but I have no idea what the numbers are or what they mean. It could be a hundred five-ity seven over four for all I know. A new at-home blood pressure monitor QardioArm makes it easy to both take and understand your blood pressure. Despite an initial frustration with QardioArm, I ended up really liking this device a lot. This sounds a little silly but the QardioArm improved the esthetic experience of home BP monitoring for me. Because it is compact, sleek and attractive, patients may be more likely to utilize it on a regular basis. In particular, I see it as something that you would be much more inclined to take with you for BP monitoring at work or on vacation.
I recently bought a QardioArm for my father and tested one myself over the last month, and herein are my findings. I compared it closely to my prior “go to” BP device, the Omron 10 (which I recommended as a Christmas gift here). The accuracy is +/- 3 mmHg or 2% of readout value for blood pressure, and +/- 5% of readout value for pulse.Unroll the arm band. This will automatically switch on the QardioArm.Gently pull the tab, opening the arm band and slide your arm through. The first thing that came to my mind upon opening up and taking a first look at the QardioArm was just how nice and inconspicuous it looked. Unlike the clunky, old fashioned straps we’re used to from the doctor’s office, the QardioArm is thoughtfully designed, looking more like a smartphone than a medical device. For those that feel self-conscious about bringing their blood pressure monitor out and about with them, this is great! GET MEDICALLY PRECISE MEASUREMENTS – Qardio devices are clinically validated so you and your doctor can trust the results. After setting up the Qardio App, you pair the QardioArm with the App. This requires the QardioArm be on and Blue Tooth be enabled on your smartphone. CONNECT DEVICES AND APPS – Qardio gives you the choice of using the app for manual entries, syncing data from other apps or connecting with QardioArm, QardioBase X, QardioTemp or QardioSpO2.
BPs are immediately available on my iPhone with QardioArm, whereas a separate Bluetooth synching process is required for the Omron App. This process never works well for me, as the Omron fails to transmit measurements reliably. Place of measurement: Right now the AHA doesn't recommend devices that measure blood pressure from the wrist or finger, because the readings may be less reliable than ones that come from the arm. Now that you know how to turn the device on and have paired it with your Cardio App, put the cuff over your upper arm with the cuboid over the inner aspect of your arm, One issue some users may have is that Qardio's app and device isn't compatible with Microsoft HealthVault and some other platforms you might use to log your other health and medical statistics. With HealthVault, you can always type in a blood pressure and pulse reading, but it won't import automatically, the way it can with the Withings Blood Pressure Monitor.I took my own BP with the QardioArm on the left arm and the Omron 10 on the right arm. Multiple simultaneous measurements showed less than 3 mmHg difference in systolic blood pressure between the two. Once you understand how the device works it is a breeze to use. However, if you are inclined, like me, to skip reading the instruction manual, you run the risk of being incredibly frustrated. An example of the profoundly negative review individuals give the device when they have not figured out the on/off process. This one on Consumer Reports Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. Read our editorial mission & see how we test. WORKS WITH GOOGLE FIT, SAMSUNG HEALTH & MYFITNESSPAL– Seamlessly connected, making your health monitoring even easier.
I compared it to the Omron 10 (Consumer Reports highest-rated BP device), and found close agreement between the two. Simultaneous BP using Omron (above) and QardioArm (left) Prior to working for PCMag, I was the managing editor of Game Developer magazine. I've also worked at the Association for Computing Machinery, The Examiner newspaper in San Francisco, and The American Institute of Physics. I was once profiled in an article in Vogue India alongside Marie Kondo. QardioArm is faster. It took 30 seconds to complete a BP measurement, compared to 50 seconds for the Omron 10. The readout from the QardioArm syncs automatically with the Qardio app, and additionally, the information can even be forwarded directly to your doctor if you would like. I found the QardioArm BP measurements to be very accurate. My medical assistant, Jenny, recorded our patient’s BPs using the “gold-standard” manual technique, and with QardioArm (consecutively and in the same arm), and there was excellent agreement. In one man with a very large arm, she could not record a BP (QardioArm’s cuff fits the arm of most people, and is appropriate for use by adults with an upper arm size between 22 and 37 cm (8.7 and 14.6 inches). If your upper arm is larger than that, this device is not for you. In one patient who was in atrial fibrillation, the device properly recorded an “irregular heart beat.”The QardioArm is a dead-simple blood pressure cuff to use and has all the features one would want from a smart blood pressure monitor. QardioArm Device Review Not that "cool-looking" should be your priority when shopping for a blood pressure machine, but it certainly makes home monitoring feel like less of a chore than it otherwise might be when you're working on preventing hypertension or managing heart disease. But on to the things that actually matter... BP and pulse data can be viewed in tabular or graphic formats and can be synched with the Apple Health App: When you slide the band onto your upper arm and secure it, all you really have to do is sit still while the app and device take your reading. A large Start button in the app sends the go-ahead to the QardioArm via Bluetooth. You'll hear the device whir into motion and feel the pressure increase. On the screen, you see spaces for your systolic and diastolic readings, as well as pulse (heart rate). The reading takes less than 30 seconds, and your results appear instantly.
If those numbers don't mean anything to you, swipe the app right to left, and a much more comprehensible chart appears mapping your blood pressure onto a color-coded graph. For this visualization alone, the app has been immensely valuable to me already. Prepare yourself for a slew of great stuff: This cuff is comfortable. The cuff size was a fit for a (kind of lanky) arm, with no gaps between the skin and the fabric. The readings were consistent and accurate, and the setup was almost unbelievably easy. This thing was out of the box, on the arm and connected to a phone in about 2 minutes, and the first blood pressure reading was done about 30 seconds after that. Upon opening the app to take a blood pressure reading, you are brought right to the start screen to begin taking a measurement. You couldn’t ask for a more simple user experience, really. It is for these reasons that I hold the Qardio app in high regard as well. How Much Does The QardioArm Cost And How Does It Compare To The Competition? The app has a few other great features, such as a reminder to take your blood pressure, which you can adjust to be daily or just a few times a week. It also saves your history of readings so that you can plot them over time.
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Position the QardioArm device on the inside of your upper arm, about an inch or 2cm above the joint of your elbow. The Qardio logo should be pointing down, towards your hand. The blood pressure is displayed on the app instantaneously along with pulse. If the device detects irregularity of the pulse (a possible but not reliable sign of atrial fibrillation or other abnormal heart rhythms), it display an “irregular heart beat” warning. The QardioArm encircling the beautiful arm of the eternal fiancee’ of the skeptical cardiologist. Note: when the cuff is wrapped around my unattractive arm, it fastens properly and does not hang down. Smart blood pressure cuffs like the QardioArm are simple enough, but what about their corresponding apps? What good is a well-built smart blood pressure monitor if the app is a confusing mess?
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