CASIO Sigma (YK-BPA2)

Indications

A blood pressure (BP) monitor measures blood pressure and pulse rate at home. It is useful for people with high or low blood pressure, people starting or changing blood pressure medicine, and people with diabetes, kidney disease or heart disease, or anyone whose doctor has asked for home readings. Digital upper-arm monitors are usually more reliable than wrist monitors.

How It Works

The cuff fills with air and squeezes the arm until blood flow stops for a moment, then lets the air out slowly. A sensor picks up the pulse as blood starts to flow again and calculates the systolic pressure (the upper number, when the heart pumps), the diastolic pressure (the lower number, when the heart rests) and the pulse rate.

Dosage and Administration

How to take an accurate reading:

• Avoid tea, coffee, smoking and exercise for 30 minutes before, and empty your bladder.
• Sit quietly for 5 minutes with your back supported and feet flat on the floor. Do not talk during the reading.
• Wrap the cuff on the bare upper arm, about 2 cm above the elbow, at the level of the heart. Use the right cuff size for your arm.
• Take 2 readings about 1 minute apart and write both down with the date and time.
• Measure at the same times each day, for example morning before medicines and evening, or as your doctor advises.

Take your record to every doctor visit.

Interactions

The device does not interact with medicines. Readings can be falsely high after tea, coffee, smoking, exercise, pain, stress or with a full bladder. An irregular heartbeat can make readings less accurate.

Contraindications

Do not put the cuff on an arm with a drip or IV line, a dialysis fistula, an injury, or on the side where lymph nodes were removed (for example after breast surgery), unless your doctor says it is fine. People with an irregular heartbeat such as atrial fibrillation should ask their doctor whether the device is suitable.

Side Effects

The cuff may feel tight for a few seconds and can cause brief tingling or small red marks on the skin.

Get urgent medical help if a reading is 180/120 mmHg or higher together with chest pain, shortness of breath, severe headache, weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg, difficulty speaking, or vision changes. If the reading is very high without symptoms, rest for 5 minutes and check again; if it is still high, contact your doctor the same day.

Pregnancy and Lactation

Safe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. High blood pressure in pregnancy can be serious: check as your doctor advises and report readings of 140/90 mmHg or more, or headache, blurred vision or sudden swelling, straight away.

Precautions and Warnings

• The monitor does not diagnose illness. Do not change medicine doses based on your readings without asking your doctor.
• Choose a clinically validated device and compare it with a clinic reading about once a year.
• Replace weak batteries, as they can affect results.
• Wait 1 to 2 minutes between readings so the arm can recover.

Overdose

Not applicable. Avoid taking many readings back to back, as this can make the arm sore and give misleading numbers.

Therapeutic Class

Medical device (home blood pressure monitor).

Storage

Keep at room temperature in a dry place, away from direct sunlight, moisture and dust, and out of the reach of children. Do not fold the cuff tube sharply. Remove the batteries if the monitor will not be used for a long time.