Recommend a continuous blood pressure monitor?
April 20, 2021 10:10 AM Subscribe
I am taking care of a TBI/ dementia patient. He is sometimes belligerent or combative and does not want to cooperate. I have found it so valuable to have a DexcomG6 continuous blood glucose monitor that transmits readings to my Iphone through the wall so I can be in the next room when he is agitated. Is there a similar device for monitoring blood pressure continuously?
Can anyone recommend a continuous blood pressure monitor that like the DexcomG6, takes frequent readings and transmits them via bluetooth to my Iphone, but for blood pressure instead of blood sugar?
Can anyone recommend a continuous blood pressure monitor that like the DexcomG6, takes frequent readings and transmits them via bluetooth to my Iphone, but for blood pressure instead of blood sugar?
It's probably overkill, but Zoll Medical has a monitor that allows you to remotely view the screen, which includes a blood pressure reading taken at user-configurable intervals. Press release here. (I think the device also has TBI features as well.)
posted by Melismata at 10:43 AM on April 20, 2021
posted by Melismata at 10:43 AM on April 20, 2021
I wonder if heart rate could be a usable stand-in for you? Then you could monitor it with an Apple watch or similar device.
posted by music for skeletons at 10:54 AM on April 20, 2021
posted by music for skeletons at 10:54 AM on April 20, 2021
Best answer: Keep in mind that wrist monitors are not considered as accurate as upper arm devices. At the very least there is probably a conversion to consider since pressure in more distal extremities is necessarily a bit lower than closer to the heart.
I personally can't imagine wearing an intermittently tight cuff without tearing it off, and noninvasive cuffs get much tighter than manual cuffs. I think a dementia patient would either completely ignore it or fight it to get it off. Wearing a snug cuff for long periods is not great for the skin beneath the cuff, either.
If the patient has fluid problems and has edema I've seen the lower arms of patients with continuous BP cuffs become much more swollen than the other arm because of the impediment to venous drainage, but this is much more of a problem if the patient is sedentary or bedbound.
posted by citygirl at 11:52 AM on April 20, 2021 [3 favorites]
I personally can't imagine wearing an intermittently tight cuff without tearing it off, and noninvasive cuffs get much tighter than manual cuffs. I think a dementia patient would either completely ignore it or fight it to get it off. Wearing a snug cuff for long periods is not great for the skin beneath the cuff, either.
If the patient has fluid problems and has edema I've seen the lower arms of patients with continuous BP cuffs become much more swollen than the other arm because of the impediment to venous drainage, but this is much more of a problem if the patient is sedentary or bedbound.
posted by citygirl at 11:52 AM on April 20, 2021 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I've had a 24 hour blood pressure monitor, and if I didn't know why I was having it, I would have certainly taken the damn thing off. A monitor that looks like a watch would likely be initially acceptable, but the first point that it began to squeeze the automatic response would be to take the thing off as it's uncomfortable.
posted by Vortisaur at 1:11 PM on April 20, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by Vortisaur at 1:11 PM on April 20, 2021 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Iris Gambol: Is the CardiacSense device like a combo of the HeartGuide and the KardiaMobile device? The CardiacSense seems to measure tachycardia, arrhythmia, and other heart conditions on a continuous basis in addition to blood pressure. Am I correct in that? That would be very useful.
Can anyone tell me if the CardiacSense has the same problems listed by citygirl and Vortisaur? The patient is mostly bedridden, does have edema and skin breakdown in his legs and feet, and may not tolerate anything ore than a Fitbit-type watch. The squeezing could be a problem, but it seems like the CardiacSense measures continuously without the squeezing, right? How does it do that?
posted by KayQuestions at 1:37 PM on April 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
Can anyone tell me if the CardiacSense has the same problems listed by citygirl and Vortisaur? The patient is mostly bedridden, does have edema and skin breakdown in his legs and feet, and may not tolerate anything ore than a Fitbit-type watch. The squeezing could be a problem, but it seems like the CardiacSense measures continuously without the squeezing, right? How does it do that?
posted by KayQuestions at 1:37 PM on April 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Apologies, KayQuestions; in reading the company brochure, I don't think the CardiacSense device (which, again, isn't on the market yet) would meet your needs:
Blood Pressure and Oxygen Saturation
The CardiacSense watch provides non-inflating and non-invasive absolute Blood Pressure and Oxygen Saturation (SpO2) measurements. Just place two opposite hands' fingers on the watch bezel pads to get both readings.
Given his agitation, and general caregiver safety concerns, can you confirm with his doctor how often these BP readings are required, while letting the office know how difficult the in-home process is? Also, he may be more cooperative with a visiting nurse or a home health aide he sees once a week/a couple of times a month, rather than with someone responsible for more frequent care. (Lastly, there's a continuous monitor the medical office can loan out for a record of his readings over the course of several hours/an entire day, if that data is necessary: 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.)
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:23 PM on April 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
Blood Pressure and Oxygen Saturation
The CardiacSense watch provides non-inflating and non-invasive absolute Blood Pressure and Oxygen Saturation (SpO2) measurements. Just place two opposite hands' fingers on the watch bezel pads to get both readings.
Given his agitation, and general caregiver safety concerns, can you confirm with his doctor how often these BP readings are required, while letting the office know how difficult the in-home process is? Also, he may be more cooperative with a visiting nurse or a home health aide he sees once a week/a couple of times a month, rather than with someone responsible for more frequent care. (Lastly, there's a continuous monitor the medical office can loan out for a record of his readings over the course of several hours/an entire day, if that data is necessary: 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.)
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:23 PM on April 20, 2021 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Iris Gambol at 10:42 AM on April 20, 2021 [1 favorite]