QardioArm Smart Blood Pressure Monitor

QardioArm Smart Blood Pressure Monitor

More Info and Purchase: https://tinyurl.com/yywnogbf

Blog: https://marcoscucom.wordpress.com/2022/02/01/qardioarm-smart-blood-pressure-monitor/

Priced at a shade under £75 this is definitely on the expensive side for a Blood Pressure monitor, when perfectly good medical-grade devices can be found for around £25. So what does this new high tech rival have to offer?

In the attractive and cleverly designed box, robust enough and well suited to store the device in, was the blood pressure monitor itself, a prefitted battery set, a Quick Start Guide, and a User Manual. Build quality seems fine straight from the box but I have a few long term doubts, of which more later. The two guides are well written, informative and nicely printed albeit in a hard to read light grey on white.

This device consists of a combined cuff and battery back with just a single status LED to let you know what is going on. The Qardio Android/iOs app on your Bluetooth connected smartphone controls the reading, displays the results and does all the clever stuff. To fit the four AA batteries, pull the cuff away slightly on one end of the battery box to reveal the hidden latch.

To use it simply switch on the cuff by unfolding it, the small LED on the end will light up and the large START button on the front page of the Qardio app will turn from grey to green. Fit the cuff in the usual way to the upper arm which needs to be done so with the box on the inside of the arm with the logo at the bottom of the box pointing down. The weight of the battery box can make this a bit tricky but it gets easier over time. I am concerned that over time the cuff may come loose from the battery box when pulling the cuff open so be sure to do so by taking hold of the label on the cuff with one hand and with the other holding the cuff secure to the battery box with the other. Press the green START button on the app to begin the reading.

The app does more than just take the reading. The readings are all stored in memory and can be exported to Google Fit or emailed directly to your physician or elsewhere in the form of a .csv data file. The device can also be used in Guest mode for one-time use without the data being stored.
The app can display a history of the readings either as a simple list or as a graph and the same for the recorded heart rate. A calendar can show on which days readings were taken and where they were taken.

One nice feature is that the app can be set to take up to three readings in sequence with a programmable delay between each with an average of them displayed at the end. This certainly gives a better and more reliable result.

I have no problems with the accuracy of the unit. I have tested it against several medically approved conventional BP models and the results are broadly consistent. The app is well designed, easy to use and the average reading feature is a real boon.

Things I don't like. Data export is limited, it exports to Google Fit but not to other apps or ecosystems and although it is possible to export a .csv file by email a simple data file cannot be exported or printed. I worry that the cuff may come apart from the battery box with use and some users have reported the rather lightweight battery compartment lid can come free also.

If you, like me, enjoy new gadgets and are happy to pay three times the price of a standard unit to achieve the same results through new tech then this may be for you. If you just need a BP monitor then there are plenty of cheaper alternatives.

The Good
Wireless Operation
No Separate Pump
Good App
Nice Presentation

The Bad
Cuff Tricky To Fit
Danger of Cuff Working Loose
Limited Data Export
Heavy Battery Use

Music: YouTube Audio Library: Sunrise Drive - South London HiFi