Today our topic of discussion is Guidelines of Blood Pressure.
Guidelines of Blood Pressure
- The sphygmomanometers generally used in clinical setting are mercury type and aneroid type. The mercury type sphygmomanometers are more reliable than the aneroid type sphygmomanometers. The aneroid sphygmomanometers give blood pressure reading on dial indicator
- Systolic pressure is increased in pressure induced by systolic contraction and diastolic pressure is decrease in pressure induced by diastolic relaxation of the left ventricle of heart
- Never take blood pressure when the patient is excited,exhausted and just after exercise, smoking or meals
- Allow the patient to rest for five minutes before taking blood pressure
- Do not use the extremity that is injured, diseased, paralyzed, receiving intravenous infusion or when a female patient is with radical mastectomy on the same side.
- When the arm cannot be used to measure the blood pressure, the thigh can be used being a good alternative site
- Always take the blood pressure reading on the same side and in the same position to maintain consistency
- Place the site (arm or leg) about the level of heart while taking blood pressure
- The apparatus should be in working order. The cuff should be of appropriate size (12-14 cm for arm and 18- 20 cm for thigh) and deflated before wrapping around the patient’s site
- While taking blood pressure, certain sounds are heard in sequence. These are called as Korotkoff sounds and are described as under:
-Tapping: The faint clear sounds that gradually become louder, the first tapping sound may be followed by an absence of sound (auscultatory gap) and indicates systolic pressure reading
-Murmuring. The low swishing sounds that increase with cuff deflation Knocking. The crisp, clear sounds that occur with each heart beat
-Muffling: Abrupt change of sound indicates first diastolic pressure reading
-No sounds: The sound disappears and indicates second diastolic pressure reading
- When deflating the cuff to take the readings, deflate the cuff to 0. Do not stop in between and start inflating again as this gives a false reading
- Note the variations in blood pressure.