Measuring blood pressure is one of the most important ways to determine a person’s health. Elevated pressure within the body’s blood vessels—called “hypertension”—can lead to a host of medical problems, including kidney failure, blindness, heart attack, stroke—and even death. Because hypertension has no symptoms and can begin at any age, it’s important that blood pressure be taken regularly and that, when higher-than-normal readings occur repeatedly, actions be taken to return it to the “normal” range.
Here is how blood pressure is taken:
- The patient should be at rest and sitting comfortably. Ideally, the patient should not have engaged in any physical activity for at least five minutes before a reading is taken.
- The patient’s left arm should be bare. Long sleeves can interfere with the reading.
- The doctor, nurse or medical assistant wraps a special cuff-like device called sphygmomanometer around the upper left arm, usually around the bicep.
- A stethoscope’s diagram is placed on the brachial artery, which is the large blood vessel located just above the crook of the elbow.
- With the patient’s left arm held at heart level, the doctor, nurse or medical assistant uses a bulb to inflate the cuff until it cuts off circulation in the brachial artery. This usually occurs in the 180-200mmHg range, which can be read on the gauge attached to the cuff.
- The doctor, nurse or medical assistant slowly releases a valve that allows air to escape from the pressurized cuff. Listening closely through the stethoscope, he/she listens for what is called “Korotkoff Sounds,” sound of turbulence in the brachial artery first identified in 1905 by Dr. Nikolai Korotkoff, a Russian physician.
- The level of pressure at which the first Korotkoff Sounds are heard is called the “systolic” number and marks the pressure of blood on the arterial walls when the heart is contracting (pumping).
- Air continues to be released from the cuff until the Korotkoff Sounds stop. This level is the “diastolic” number, which represents the pressure of blood in the arteries when the heart is at rest.
- At this point, any remaining compressed air is released from the cuff, and it is removed from the patient’s arm.
“Normal” blood pressure is considered to be 120 (systolic) over 80 (diastolic), although variations of 10 to 15 points in either direction is not uncommon. A reading of 140/90 is the official threshold of high blood pressure. Although higher-than-normal readings can occur in otherwise healthy individuals as a result of temporary stress or anxiety, repeatedly high readings should be taken seriously and addressed via a program of weight loss, increased exercise, a low-salt diet and, if these steps fail, prescription medications.
Interested in Medical Assisting as a Career?
Taking and recording blood pressure readings is just one of the valuable services performed by professional medical assistants. For information on this exciting and rewarding career option, contact Everest College, one of the leaders in health care career training.
