Blood Pressure Every 2 Minutes

nwhitney

nwhitney

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I was talking to some students that are in Basic right now and one term behind me. They were taught to take blood pressure every 2 minutes for cardiac pt's. We didn't learn that at all just every 5 min. for unstable & every 15 min for stable. They just went through the new AHA CPR course and I went through the old course so maybe that is why. We're at the same school though different instructors. Am I missing something?
 
If you took a BP every 2 minutes, when would you do anything else other than BPs that is?
 
firecoins said:
If you took a BP every 2 minutes, when would you do anything else other than BPs that is?
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That's what I was wondering. I don't see how you would have time to even check other vitals.
 
You need to take vital signs often and regularly. And everything else in between.
 
Is there something they want you to say on a test? Ask the teacher. If they want you to say every 5, than its every 5 for your test. If they want you to say every 2 minutes, than its every 2.
 
My instructor says every 5 or every 15. It's a different instructor who said every 2. I'm not worried about the tests just wondering if I missed something or if it's part of the new CPR course.
 
I dont remember CPR classes even mentioning how often to take vitals.

I tend to do 5 or so minutes for the sick ones and 10-15 mins for the not sick ones along with a destination set to finish off any trends or to show no changes.
 
I have never seen or heard of a NIBP set for less than 3 minutes.
 
shfd739 said:
I dont remember CPR classes even mentioning how often to take vitals.

I tend to do 5 or so minutes for the sick ones and 10-15 mins for the not sick ones along with a destination set to finish off any trends or to show no changes.
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Just got a little more info from one of the students in that class. This is the test question they had... "How often should a patient's vital signs be reassessed during transport to the hospital after he has had his pulse restored with CPR and the use of an AED?"

The answer is 2 min. according to the instructor.
 
Couldn't -theoretically- taking a blood pressure every two minutes provide false high readings? Sort of like blocking a pipe and letting the water back up behind it, then unblocking and releasing some of the pressure, then blocking it right back up before it has a chance to equalize?
 
adamjh3 said:
Couldn't -theoretically- taking a blood pressure every two minutes provide false high readings? Sort of like blocking a pipe and letting the water back up behind it, then unblocking and releasing some of the pressure, then blocking it right back up before it has a chance to equalize?
Click to expand...

That's my understanding.
 
Yes and no and none of the above.

Yes, rapid fire VS at one site can affect the readings, but it is not predictable, largely due to effects of collateral circulation and changing pt status. Every two minutes while in motion also seems a bit of a stretch. Answer the test the way they want it, but ask for a clarification, the instructor may have misspoken. If he/she persists, do it their way, then ask for a reference/citation to check it out for yourself.
 
There shouldnt be a hard and fast rule about how often vitals need to be taken. Each patient, their condition, and your'e assessment shoudl dictate how often you you check their vitals, unless you have hard and fast protocols that say BP every x mins.
 
I'm guessing what their instructors are getting at, albeit in a rather poor fashion, is to continue checking that your pt. has pulses post-resuscitation. Personally once I get a pulse back SOMEONE has their finger on it most of the time.
 
I teach CPR and the only reference to 2 minutes is in between shock cycles of the AED. WE also teach bascis not to take vitals less than 3 minutes apart to give the artery time to regain form and pressure. These guidelines come from NREMT.
 
ARC basic CPR: no vitals

Delete words like "pulse", "breathing", and substitute the phrase "signs of life" (like begging you to stop crushing their sternum). Little old lady we brought back by CPR was awake and in distress by the time we got the radio order to DNR. She went on to recover, because it was an airway embarassment caused by/untreated by family.
 
My thinking is that if the patient needs BP q2 min (or more frequently than that) just get the patient to where an A-line can be placed for that continuous monitoring...
 
Errr... I don't take any vitals during CPR. Pretty much the definition of cardiac arrest, and therefor the only reason for me to do CPR, means they have no vitals to speak of.



As far as the OP, no, every 2 minutes just because they are a cardiac patient is dumb.



Trust me, if it comes to the point where you need to check every 2 minutes to see when they change, they will already be to the point where you better be doing a crap load more than watching their BP plummet.
 
Every 5 minutes for an unstable PT, every 15 for a stable patient. That's the national standard.
 
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