EBME Forums Forums Management Medical Equipment Management Midwifery electronic BP monitors

Has anybody had involvement in replacing the manual sphygmomanometers used by midwives?

As per the following midwife guidance: Care bundle 3 has just been released and stipulates that as part of the risk assessment process, blood pressure should be recorded using a digital monitor that has been validated for use in pregnancy.

This is the link to what has been recommended as appropriate monitors For Specialist Use - British and Irish Hypertension Society:

https://bihsoc.org/bp-monitors/for-specialist-use/

It's quite a lengthy list and wondered if anybody has done any research on which monitors are most suitable?

Our midwives now use the Omron M7.

The majority of midwives still use manual devices although some have electronic as well. When they started purchasing electronic devices they went for clinically validated Omron's, initially for use by Midwifery Support Workers. Working practices changed and they also started loaning devices to the patients. A while back they said these must be validated for pre-eclampsia and so now purchase the M7's.

When contacting Omron recently they sent me a list of BP monitors for use in pregnancy from STRIDE BP www.stridebp.org

A lot of the BP monitors listed on that website as suitable for Hospital use are either obsolete and/or not sold in the UK. Including the Omron 907 & HBP1300 - both no longer available.

At the end of October this year BIHSC were recommending HEM-7380-E Omron (M7). & 'Withings' BPM Connect (WPM 05) but I have checked again and these Obsolete models have been deleted and not replaced with any thing!
Which is a bit embarrasing for the author of this document:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-rea...essure-monitoring-in-maternity-services/

which I believe is called up in
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/saving-babies-lives-version-three/

I Think our Trust will go down the Omron 'M6' HEM-7360-E route which is Validated to the same level as as 'M7' HEM-736-IT-EBK (Bluetooth capability to smart phone etc. I.G. risk) also only a single adjusting cuff to 42cm which may harm lorger circumference arm . Unless there is a regional buying initative for cost saving as per:

https://transform.england.nhs.uk/ke...e-monitor-dynamic-purchasing-system-dps/

Has anyone Recommended the Welch Allyn/Microlife ProBP 2400 which the FDA have certified as PreEclampsia compliant, as passed through by Microlife 'Similar to WatchBP Office model, and have a full range of traditional cuffs in various sizes Approx (Microlife £15 on NHS supply chain)?

I admit to not having read the papers - but can anyone simply lay out the issues here (from the technical point of view). Do the preferred devices have special algorithms (if so, one can only wonder why they then become discontinued)?

Are we really talking about cuffs, and their positioning (especially in the cases of self-monitoring patients)?

And what about the patients seemingly at risk - do they have particular characteristics?

I seek such information from the standpoint of a well-known (?) defendant in cases of "blaming the equipment".