Customer Reviews

Omron HEM-711AC Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor with Standard Cuff

5 star:		(265)
4 star:		(72)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(33)

 

 

Two of the previous reviewers noted that their monitors didn't accurately read their blood pressure. I'm wondering if they made the same mistake that I made with my first two readings. My first two readings were 20 points higher than normal!! And then I read the instructions and realized that the air pump had to be on the same side as the palm of your hand. Tried a third time, making sure I had the air pump properly positioned. The next reading was normal. What a relief.

When I was researching which monitor to get, I debated between the Omron HEM-780 and this one. For whatever reason, the HEM-780 sells more on Amazon. The only advantages I could see, however, were that it had a larger cuff, a so-called Comfit cuff, and saves the last 90 readings rather than the last 60. What sold me on this unit, however, was a feature that the HEM-780 doesn't have -- an irregular heart beat indicator (not mentioned in the Amazon.com description but shown in the PDF of the owner's manual at www.omronhealthcare.com). Since the 9"-13" upper arm cuff was fine for me, I bought this unit and it's perfect for my needs. The Omron technology is otherwise the same for both units and the cuff on this unit is also comfortable so no need for the Comfit cuff. If you need a larger cuff (up to 17"), buy the HEM-780. If not, save the $12, get the same technology with the added bonus of the irregular heart beat indicator.

I have had 3 blood pressure cuffs. This one is the best. It stores measurements including pulse. Wrist cuffs are a waste of money and can give you inaccurate information. Bicep cuffs are the best. Omron has a very good reputation among health professionals.

A word of caution, you need to use the cuff properly and to always use it the same way. It is also important to take several measurements (2 a day) when you are measuring trends. And you need to average the results for 4-5 days.

If you do this you can manage your blood pressure through a combination of drugs, exercise and diet. A good set of records will allow you to measure your progress. For example, if you want to know the benefit of an exercise program (benefit in reducing BP) you can measure this. The same is true of low sodium diet.

This cuff is very good and with the AC adapter you can make many meausrements and depend on the consistency of the measurement if not the accuracy. Consistency is important.

Good luck.

I purchased this blood pressure monitor for my elderly mother. I had a few requirements. 1) That it was easy to use, 2) That it was easy to read, because my mother has poor vision, and 3) that it produces good output. This machine does all of the above and comes with a an alternative power source too! We are pleased.

I took the monitor with me to my doctors office and boy was the readings way off! By 28 on the diastolic! The doctor told me the cuff was probably to small and to return the monitor and get one that had a larger cuff (9-17) instead of (9-13) which this one has. He stated it gives a false high reading when the cuff is to small as well as a false low if to big. He also stated to keep my arm postioned right,placing the cuff 1/2 above elbow and air tube running down the inside of your arm palm side up and keep the arm level with your heart for the most accurate reading.
I returned this monitor and purchased the ReliOn Easy Wrap Automatic Monitor made by Omron as well, Model HEM-780 and its readings are alot more accurate as well as a much more comfortable cuff thats easier to put on by yourself one handed!
Be sure to measure your upper left arm to make sure you purchase one that will fit properly.

I have a history of hypertension and I found recently that my blood pressure had risen again in spite of a better diet and weight loss. I decided to buy this monitor to check the effect of other changes to my diet on my blood pressure in between doctor visits. This monitor was very easy to use and accurate. I make a check of my blood pressure daily and am very satisfied with the results. The unit itself arrived quickly and with no problems. The only thing I would recommend is for the user to measure his or her own bicep. If it's between 13 and 16 inches, you may need to order the Large Adult Arm Cuff. (The Standard cuff is the one included.)

I have this unit about one month now and am very impressed with it. You shouldn't have any trouble getting consistent readings if you read and follow the instructions carefully. Make sure the cuff is applied correctly to your left arm about a 1/2" above the elbow, the arrow on the cuff points to the inside of the elbow on the cuff, centered with the middle finger. The right arm could be used too. I suspect that if the unit is off it may be reading a "little" high, which of course is much better than a little low, but I'm not sure given the variability of blood pressure and the many variables than can effect readings slightly. It is consistent though.

My only misgiving about this unit is the limited functionality of the memory, particularly the inability to store reading for two people and not being able to store readings on a memory card or plug it in to a computer USB port to download readings to a spreadsheet so the data could be further analyzed and graphed. But, as this memory functionality was never advertised and given the price of this excellent unit, I gave it 5 stars. I would have gladly paid more if this data accessibility were an added function.

I have been using this device every day. It works very well and has a large LED display for my results. The auto inflate arm cuff is comfortable and quick to use. I recommend this for anyone who had to measure frequent BP's.

I bought this monitor after using my granpa's (which he's used for 5 years) and reading reviews online. So far, I have been satisfied with the product as it seems to be built very well. The only reason I wouldn't give it five stars is because the memory and other interface functions are very simple and do not have many advanced features. It does keep an average, however, which is good.

UPDATED COMMENTS:

As an update to the following original review, I want to soften the below negative comments about error messages in the HEM-711AC. After doing more research and testing, I find that blood pressure measurement is a tricky process that can go wrong for a number of reasons. I now believe that the numerous error messages I was getting were due to not getting the cuff over the brachial artery (partially based on incorrect customer service advice) and because of keeping my elbow too low.

The brachial artery is on the inside third of the elbow crease on both arms. Customer service told me that it is on the outside of the left arm and on the inside of the right arm. However, my son in medical school, and some gross anatomy dissection photos, indicate that this artery is symetrically located on the inside of both arms.

Regarding elbow height, the elbow should be level with your heart -- heart high. If you are tall or are using a low table, put a couple of books under your elbow. Ever since making these two corrections, I have not had any error messages. Although Omron does give a lot of helpful tips, they did not cover my problems and even gave somewhat misleading advice. However, they did diligently inspect and calibrate my unit twice, each time sending it back saying there was nothing wrong with it, but not really helping me understand what the problem could be.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

I bought the HEM-711AC four years ago. For four years it worked fine, but now I get unspecified error messages at least 50% of the time. This morning I got 9 errors on 10 tries. And this is after I have returned the unit TWICE to Omron repair with a detailed log of my readings and error messages. Each time, they sent it back saying it checks out perfectly. Last time they even included a new cuff. The first day back, it gave four good readings, but today, it gave errors nine of ten times. I have noticed that one or two other reviewers of other Omron monitors have mentioned this for some other Omron models. I am mystified because I am a savy user who knows who to position the cuff, etc, and had four years of successful readings, so I don't think I am the problem. Don't know where to turn next. Probably should just buy a sphygmomanometer and stethoscope. Discouraged and disappointed with Omron.

Six years ago I bought an earlier model of Omrom blood pressure monitor for my mother (I cannot recall the model number). That model did not have IntelliSense. If my mother did not adjust the cuff properly, then the old model would give an error message. Once the cuff was adjusted exactly in accordance with instructions, the monitor would show the correct readings. The new Omron HEM-711AC monitor with IntelliSense takes the readings in any case, however, if the cuff is not properly adjusted, then the numbers can be awfully wrong. I tried it on myself. First I palced the cuff 1 inch above the elbow (rather than the required 1/2 inch above the elbow), and it displayed a systolic pressure of 159 (this one really scared me - I almost called my doctor). Then I placed the cuff 1/2 inch lower (where it should be), and this time it read 118, which is my normal systolic pressure.

Bottomline: if you see a very high systolic reading - don't panic. Maybe your blood pressure is OK, it's just IntelliSense. If you carefully adjust the cuff, then in most cases you would get accurate readings.