manual or electronic BPs in your clinic?

[SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS]

Hi,

We do all electronic blood pressures (family medicine clinic).

The MAs say they forgot how to do manual ones and "would need to be retrained."

I think electronic cuffs only belong in critical care settings where you need a reading q2 minutes or something like that.

Do you do automatic electronic ones, manual, or some of each in your clinic?

[klone, MSN, RN]

Some of each. We start with electronic, but the cuffs for overweight/obese people are very finicky and half the time, they blow up twice and then error out. When that happens, we do a manual. We will also do a manual if the BP is outside parameters.

I would love to do manual on everyone (it's faster and more accurate) but it would require leaving the cuffs and stethoscopes out at the check-in area in back, and I guarantee they would walk away within a day. So we keep the cuffs in a drawer in one of the exam rooms, and we each have our own stethoscopes that we tuck away in our personal drawers.

[SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS]

Some of each. We start with electronic, but the cuffs for overweight/obese people are very finicky and half the time, they blow up twice and then error out. When that happens, we do a manual. We will also do a manual if the BP is outside parameters.

We got new more appropriate cuffs for the larger sized people, including the "cone shaped" ones for people whose arms are not a perfect tube shape. It helps but not enough. I like the idea of doing a manual for anyone who is outside parameters- this is a lot of our patients.

[Ella26, BSN, RN]

We use manual at my clinic.

[featherzRN, MSN]

All manual at mine as well. I'd love to have the electronic ones.

[Oedgar]

We start with electronic, but if it's wacky we go to manual. Does anyone know of an electronic cuff that fits very obese people? I have a few 300 + pound people.... and I physically don't have the strength to inflate the thigh cuff around their arms.

[advsmuch08]

Both, depending on preference. I use electronic BP because it seems like every time I do a manual pt/family members are trying to talk to me as I'm listening. If I get a reading outside the typical for that pt I'll verify with a manual reading.

[OldDude]

They make large thigh cuffs...

[Oedgar]

Oh yes I have used the the thigh cuffs. But I have a really hard time inflating it. I guess I need to work out more lol. Seriously, it takes me forever to inflate and my arm is about to fall off by the time I am finished.

[Deidre1017, LPN]

We use electronic at my clinic, but if the reading is abnormal, we use manual.

[vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN]

I work inpatient LTC. Most BPs are taken by aides via electronic cuff.

Whenever I need to take a BP,I tend to use a manual sphygmomanometer. I feel it's more accurate.

Thanks to the OP mentioned cone shaped cuffs. I've never heard of those before, but I have had many Pts with differently shaped arms whom I believe would benefit from a cone shaped BP cuff.

[guest64485]

I work in specialty where only large BP abnormalities really 'matter' to us. I love using the dynamap because I can keep talking to the patients while its working, so it saves me time and keeps things moving.

I also find that my hand cramps up when I have to do a bunch of blood pressures. So I'm glad to not have to worry about that. Of course, if there is a concerning abnormality in the blood pressure I will do a manual to confirm.