Proper Steps to Take Blood Pressure
How to Properly Take Blood Pressure
Step 1 - Choose the right equipment:
What you will need:
1. A quality stethoscope
2. An appropriately sized blood pressure cuff
3. A blood pressure measurement instrument such as an aneroid or mercury column sphygmomanometer or an automated device with a manual inflate mode.
Step 2 - Prepare the patient: Make sure the patient is relaxed by allowing 5 minutes to relax before the first reading. The patient should sit upright with their upper arm positioned so it is level with their heart and feet flat on the floor. Remove excess clothing that might interfere with the BP cuff or constrict blood flow in the arm. Be sure you and the patient refrain from talking during the reading.
Step 3 - Choose the proper BP cuff size: Most measurement errors occur by not taking the time to choose the proper cuff size. Wrap the cuff around the patient's arm and use the index line to determine if the patient's arm circumference falls within the range area. If not, choose the appropriate smaller or larger cuff.
Step 4 - Place the BP cuff on the patient's arm: Locate the brachial artery and position the BP cuff so that the artery marker points to the brachial artery. Wrap the BP cuff snugly around the arm.
Step 5 - Position the stethoscope: On the same arm that you placed the BP cuff, palpate the arm at the ante cubical fossa to locate the strongest pulse sounds and place the bell of the stethoscope over the brachial artery at this location.
Step 6 - Inflate the BP cuff: Begin pumping the cuff bulb as you listen to the pulse sounds. When the BP cuff has inflated enough to stop blood flow you should hear no sounds through the stethoscope. The gauge should read 30 to 40 mmHg above the person's normal BP reading.
Step 7 - Slowly Deflate the BP cuff: Begin deflation. The pressure should fall at 2 - 3 mmHg per second, anything faster may likely result in an inaccurate measurement.
Step 8 - Listen for the Systolic Reading: The
Step 1 - Choose the right equipment:
What you will need:
1. A quality stethoscope
2. An appropriately sized blood pressure cuff
3. A blood pressure measurement instrument such as an aneroid or mercury column sphygmomanometer or an automated device with a manual inflate mode.
Step 2 - Prepare the patient: Make sure the patient is relaxed by allowing 5 minutes to relax before the first reading. The patient should sit upright with their upper arm positioned so it is level with their heart and feet flat on the floor. Remove excess clothing that might interfere with the BP cuff or constrict blood flow in the arm. Be sure you and the patient refrain from talking during the reading.
Step 3 - Choose the proper BP cuff size: Most measurement errors occur by not taking the time to choose the proper cuff size. Wrap the cuff around the patient's arm and use the index line to determine if the patient's arm circumference falls within the range area. If not, choose the appropriate smaller or larger cuff.
Step 4 - Place the BP cuff on the patient's arm: Locate the brachial artery and position the BP cuff so that the artery marker points to the brachial artery. Wrap the BP cuff snugly around the arm.
Step 5 - Position the stethoscope: On the same arm that you placed the BP cuff, palpate the arm at the ante cubical fossa to locate the strongest pulse sounds and place the bell of the stethoscope over the brachial artery at this location.
Step 6 - Inflate the BP cuff: Begin pumping the cuff bulb as you listen to the pulse sounds. When the BP cuff has inflated enough to stop blood flow you should hear no sounds through the stethoscope. The gauge should read 30 to 40 mmHg above the person's normal BP reading.
Step 7 - Slowly Deflate the BP cuff: Begin deflation. The pressure should fall at 2 - 3 mmHg per second, anything faster may likely result in an inaccurate measurement.
Step 8 - Listen for the Systolic Reading: The