What about your blood pressure?
Normal blood pressure is vital to life. Without the pressure that forces our blood to flow around
the circulatory system, no oxygen or nutrients would be delivered through our arteries to the
tissues and organs.
However, blood pressure can become dangerously high, and it can also get too low
What is blood pressure?
Blood pressure is the force that moves blood through our circulatory system.
It is an important force because oxygen and nutrients would not be pushed around our
circulatory system to nourish tissues and organs without blood p Blood pressure is also
vital because it delivers white blood cells and antibodies for immunity, and hormones
such as insulin.ressure.
Just as important as providing oxygen and nutrients, the fresh blood that gets delivered
is able to pick up the toxic waste products of metabolism, including the carbon dioxide
we exhale with every breath, and the toxins we clear through our liver and kidneys.
Blood itself carries a number of other properties, including its temperature. It also
carries one of our defenses against tissue damage, the clotting platelets that prevent
blood loss following injury.
But what exactly is it that causes blood to exert a pressure in our arteries? Part of the
answer is simple - the heart creates blood pressure by forcing out blood when it
contracts with every heartbeat. Blood pressure, however, cannot be created solely by
the pumping heart.
Tips
The guidelines for doctors list the following measures patients can take to help keep a
healthy blood pressure:
Keep a healthy body weight.
Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products.
Cut down on sodium salt in the diet.
Take regular aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, for at least 30 minutes a
day, most days of the week.
Moderate your alcohol intake. Men should drink fewer than two alcoholic
beverages a day for men. Women and men with a lower body weight should consume
a maximum of one alcohol drink a day.
Taking these steps can reduce the risk of health problems further down the line.
Procedures
To begin blood pressure measurement, use a properly sized
blood pressure cuff. The length of the cuff's bladder should be
at least equal to 80% of the circumference of the upper arm.
Wrap the cuff around the upper arm with the cuff's lower edge
one inch above the antecubital fossa.
Lightly press the stethoscope's bell over the brachial artery
just below the cuff's edge. Some health care workers have
difficulty using the bell in the antecubital fossa, so we suggest
using the bell or the diaphragm to measure the blood pressure.
Rapidly inflate the cuff to 180mmHg. Release air from the cuff
at a moderate rate (3mm/sec).
Listen with the stethoscope and simultaneously observe the
sphygmomanometer. The first knocking sound (Korotkoff) is
the subject's systolic pressure. When the knocking sound
disappears, that is the diastolic pressure (such as 120/80).
Record the pressure in both arms and note the difference; also
record the subject's position (supine), which arm was used,
and the cuff size (small, standard or large adult cuff).
If the subject's pressure is elevated, measure blood
pressure two additional times, waiting a few minutes between
measurements.
A BLOOD PRESSURE OF 180/120mmHg OR MORE REQUIRES
IMMEDIATE ATTENTION!
