Blood Pressure

Question 1

Line up the cuff marker with the brachial artery –

Answer 1

slightly medial to the the biceps brachii tendon

Question 2

Estimate an approximate systolic blood pressure

Answer 2

1. Palpate the radial pulse
2. Inflate the cuff until you can no longer feel this pulse
3. Note the reading on the sphygmomanometer

This is a rough estimate of the systolic blood pressure

Question 3

Measure the blood pressure accurately

Answer 3

1. Place your stethoscope’s diaphragm over the brachial artery
2. Re-inflate the cuff to 20-30 mmHg above your approximate systolic BP measured earlier
3. Begin to slowly deflate the cuff – around 2-3 mmHg per second
4. Listen carefully and at some point you will begin to hear a thumping pulsatile noise:

This is known as the 1st Korotkoff sound
The pressure at which this 1st sound is heard is the systolic blood pressure

Question 4

After 1st sound

Answer 4

5. Continue to deflate the cuff, continuing to listen until the sounds completely disappear:

The point at which you hear the last sound is referred to as the 5th Korotkoff sound
This is the diastolic blood pressure

6. If the patient is noted to be hypertensive (>140/90) or hypotensive you should re-check the blood pressure after 2 minutes to confirm this is an accurate result (use the other arm and reconsider if the cuff size is appropriate)