Blood Pressure Machines

Question: What does "out of range" on a blood pressure machine in a pharmacy mean?

(Posted by: Emmy on 2009-08-12 02:53:15)

I know that my blood pressure is low. I sometimes try to use the blood pressure machine at the pharmacy, and I often can't, even though it appears to be working and other people are able to get readings from it. I do have small arms, so this might just mean that the machines don't work properly for me because of my size (I weigh 100 pounds and have skinny arms compared to the rest of my body). My blood pressure is always low. The lowest it's been while I've been feeling reasonably ok was 70/ 40. I've never had it measured while I actually have symptoms of low blood pressure (which I do have). What's the lowest that a blood pressure machine can detect? Am I sometimes unable to use these machines because my blood pressure is too low, or because my arms are too small? I get error messages from the machines, like "out of range " or "inconsistent ".

Posted by: I Saw Everything on 2009-08-12, 03:02:44

The machines in the pharmacies are not always calibrated as often as they should be, so they may be off anyways. I have had blood pressure as high as 160/ 110 and it read error. I know my BP was this high because it was consistently this high for the year I was in and out of the doctors office monthly. sometimes it has difficulty reading and if you have a faint pulse or your arms are too big or too small it will read error or have an inconsistent reading. I advise not going by the one in the pharmacy. The best are manual cuffs but you need a nurse to do that for you. The next best is a good at home electronic one but realize over time they may be less accurate.