Kitchen Table review - A&D UA-767Plus Blood Pressure Monitor

Welcome to the first of my Kitchen Table Reviews. I aim to give validated blood pressure monitors the once over and look at them in terms of value for money, bells and whistles and ease of use.

What's in the box?

Manufacturer: A&D Medical
Model: UA-767Plus Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor

Features:

• Irregular Heart Beat (IHB) monitor
• Blood pressure classification indicator
• Last reading recall
• Extra large 3-line display for an easier read
• One-touch management
• SlimFit comfortable cuff

What’s in the box
Open the box of the UA-767Plus and you will find a handy blue vinyl bag for storing your monitor. Undo the zip and you will find your monitor, batteries and your cuff. The standard A&D adult cuff measures 22-32cm which is fine for average people, however, those with larger upper arms might want to see if they can get the UA-767Plus with a large cuff. If you need to know what size cuff you need see our video on watchyourbp.co.uk.

The face of the UA-767Plus is clean and simple A large single button starts the monitor up and automatically inflates the cuff to begin your measurement.

My blood pressure (after medication) 

clearly shown with the WHO indicator

on the left hand side.

The screen has big numbers on and both the systolic and diastolic blood pressure are clearly marked with the pulse beats per minute coming at the bottom of the screen. On the left hand side of the screen which has a battery indicator and the clever bits.

Bells and whistles?
First off, the IHB or irregular heart beat monitor. What is this useful for. Well, if you know you suffer from an irregular heart beat or atrial fibrillation, this may well be able to detect it, although it is important to remember that the monitor can only pick up an irregular heart beat if it happens while you are having your blood pressure measured. Not everyone has “regular” irregular heart beats so it may not pick it up. It is, however, useful if you have a family history of stroke or irregular heart beat. Atrial Fibrilation is a risk factor for stroke and it is important that it is detected – this monitor may help you do this.

Simple but clear face

The other clever bit is the WHO Classification Indicator. WHO? They are the World Health Organisation based in Switzerland and interested in the health of us all globally. The WHO have a clear classification system which enables you to place yourself within a spectrum from optimal (120/80mmHg or below) through pre-hypertensive, mild and moderate hypertension all the way to severe hypertension. This monitor does it for you with a colour coded strip alongside the screen which clearly marks where you are in the classification.  Personally, I thought that this would be really useful for those doing occasional readings or who want to make sure that there blood pressure is staying where it should be.

Ease of use?
It is very easy to use. No need for an idiots guide as it is simply a matter of putting the cuff on properly, sitting down and pushing the single button.  All the figures are very clear and it provides what you need.

Who is it suitable for?
Anyone really, but only if you are interested in basic blood pressure monitoring. It does not connect to a PC and has no memory outside of a last reading re-call.  If you are looking for a straight out of the bag monitor which will give you accurate readings but little else (discounting the IHB indicator) this will probably work for you.  If you are looking to buy a monitor for an elderly relative who has been told to keep an eye on their blood pressure - this will work as well.

Star quality
I will give this monitor 4 stars.  It is very easy to use, is clinically validated and has a 5 year guarantee.  It falls down a bit on the bells and whistles, but if you do not want a memory or one to attach to your PC - and many people do not - this is ideal.

Cost
The RRP of the UA-767Plus is around £70.  Mine was supplied by Experts in Blood Pressure products and they are selling it for £40 - so really good value for a clinically validated monitor.

Clinical validation details
The monitor is on the British Hypertension Society list of validated monitors. It has a European protocol pass and the paper was published in 2004 in Blood Pressure Monitoring*

*Verdeccia, P, Angeli, F, Poeta, F, REboldi, GP, Borgioni, C, Pittavini, L, and Porcellati, C. Validation of the A&D UA-774 (UA-767Plus) device for self-measurement of blood pressure.
Blood Pressure Monitoring 2004, 9 (4): 225-229