Measuring BP

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Maxzl

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Hi guys
I just wanted to make sure I knew how to properly measure blood pressure, we didn't spend to much time on in class so I just wanna make sure.
Please tell me if anything's wrong
1. apply cuff snugly
2. palpate brachial artery
3. place stethoscope over the brachial artery and close the valve
4. pump to 20 mm Hg over pulse sounds are no longer heard
5. slowly open valve and as soon as pulse sounds are heard you have the systolic
6. continue releasing the air, when pulse sounds are no longer heard--diastolic

Thanks
Max
 
good job. sounds pretty solid to me. actually hearing the sounds may be difficult but it should not be a hard skill to learn. good luck
 
I like to go over more than 20 because sometimes the valve opens to fast or it gets stuck and i hate takin a bp twice. But it sounds like you got it down. It is definitely a skill that has to be practiced
 
A couple tips - be sure to be careful in listening to the 'sounds'. There are five Korotkoff sounds, the blood flow sounds in BP, you can pick up with a good set of ears:
First - a snapping sound, if it continues a couple beats, that's your systolic
Second - the snapping fades into a murmur. Some students will confuse the fading as the diastolic and then be suprised when
Third - the sharp snapping or tapping sound returns
Fourth - the thumping starts to decrease in volume to
Fifth - fade to silence. The sounds completely fade when cuff pressure is below diastolic.

Second tip - in some patients, especially morbidly obese, the brachial artery is hard to hear let alone find. If so, find the pulse as you normally would and listen there at the radial artery.
 
anyone against the idea of palpating the radial artery while inflating (and waiting for the absence)? i wasnt really taught to me that way but seems to work. additional input on that?
 
Personally, I always palpate the brachial artery first before I put the cuff on. Then you know exactly where to put the cuff's artery marker and the head of the stethoscope.

For obese patients, I'll attempt auscultation once and, if unsuccessful, go with palpation of the radial pulse. If that doesn't work, I take patient condition into consideration. You're not going to be able to get a BP on everybody.
 
Maxzl said:
Hi guys
I just wanted to make sure I knew how to properly measure blood pressure, we didn't spend to much time on in class so I just wanna make sure.
Please tell me if anything's wrong
1. apply cuff snugly
2. palpate brachial artery
3. place stethoscope over the brachial artery and close the valve
4. pump to 20 mm Hg over pulse sounds are no longer heard
5. slowly open valve and as soon as pulse sounds are heard you have the systolic
6. continue releasing the air, when pulse sounds are no longer heard--diastolic

Thanks
Max
Click to expand...

Ugh too complex mate, take out Lifepak 12, turn on lifepak 12, wrap cuff around arm (or neck in the case of annoying patient) press NIBP button :lol:

surname_levi said:
anyone against the idea of palpating the radial artery while inflating (and waiting for the absence)? i wasnt really taught to me that way but seems to work. additional input on that?
Click to expand...

Thats what I do
 
I normally palpate the brachial artery while I'm setting up the manual BP. Sometimes I'll continue palpating the artery while inflating the cuff. If the pulse disappears, I've definitely got it, and I'm not feeling my own pulse. Then I'll place the steth head over the artery and I should acquire the sounds at about the point where I "lost" the pulse during inflation... I've found that I'm pretty quick at getting BP's, and certainly faster than an auto NIBP.
 
Maxzl said:
Hi guys
I just wanted to make sure I knew how to properly measure blood pressure, we didn't spend to much time on in class so I just wanna make sure.
Please tell me if anything's wrong
1. apply cuff snugly
2. palpate brachial artery
3. place stethoscope over the brachial artery and close the valve
4. pump to 20 mm Hg over pulse sounds are no longer heard
5. slowly open valve and as soon as pulse sounds are heard you have the systolic
6. continue releasing the air, when pulse sounds are no longer heard--diastolic

Thanks
Max
Click to expand...

Sounds good to me. I rarely ever palpate unless very large pt., but the diaphragm of my stethoscope is large enough that even if I am not right on top of it I can still hear the sounds.
 
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