Equate Blood Pressure Monitors Are ‘Wildly Inaccurate,’ Lawsuit Alleges

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A proposed class action alleges the Equate Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor is decidedly incapable of providing accurate, reliable blood pressure readings, particularly for consumers with a normal to large arm circumference. 

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The 48-page lawsuit says that there exist significant and dangerous discrepancies between the readings produced by the Equate blood pressure monitor, namely the 8000, 8500, 4000 and 6000 Series devices, and a consumer’s actual blood pressure level, such that, for instance, a user may mistakenly believe they have hypertension or are experiencing a hypertensive crisis requiring emergency care.

According to the complaint, the Equate blood pressure monitor is effectively “useless and unreliable,” as a user may incorrectly believe their blood pressure is far higher or lower than it actually is and rely on the inaccurate readings in making healthcare and treatment decisions. 

Per the suit, the defendants, manufacturer HoMedics LLC and mega retailer Walmart, have not recalled the apparently defective blood pressure monitors or offered consumers any sort of reimbursement.

The Equate at-home blood pressure monitor is touted, among other representations, as “Clinically Validated for Accuracy” and equipped with a wide-range cuff for a comfortable fit while still providing “accurate blood pressure measurements,” the filing says. As the case tells it, these representations are “false, or at minimum misleading,” given that the blood pressure monitor cannot produce accurate readings, “let alone consistently for all users.”

In particular, the device’s outer packaging does not disclose that the monitors are, at best, accurate within a range of +/- 3 mmHg for systolic and diastolic pressure, the suit says. Per the complaint, this disclosure is “buried in tiny font at the end of a 50-page pamphlet,” which also allegedly includes the concession that the Equate monitor “may have difficulty determining the proper blood pressure for pregnant women and for users with irregular heartbeat, diabetes, poor circulation, kidney problems or for users who have suffered from a stroke.” 

Further, the filing alleges the blood pressure readings generated by the Equate monitor are regularly inaccurate by 20 to 30 mmHg or more. The case adds that, according to a Northwestern study of the accuracy of certain upper-arm blood pressure monitors, the Equate devices were only accurate with a range of +/- 2.5 mmHg on average for systolic blood pressure, and within 5.1 mmHg on average for diastolic blood pressure, meaning, given the averages, “most if not all users experience incorrect readings.” 

According to the case, that same study found that the devices are particularly inaccurate for users with a normal to large arm circumference. 

“None of the above limitations were disclosed by Defendants to consumers at the point of purchase. By touting these positive attributes that concern the central functionality of the Products, Defendants were obligated to disclose the Products’ related limitations.” 

The lawsuit looks to cover all consumers in California who, within the applicable statute of limitations period, bought one or more Equate Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitors from a Walmart store for a purpose other than resale. 

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