VITAL SIGN

BLOOD PRESSURE

Below are the procedures on how to measure the blood pressure manually.
1) First, let your patient sat down and relax for about 3-5 minutes. Before taking a
measurement, ask them if they smoked, just got an exercise, drank alcohol or if their
bladder is full. If so, let them wait for about 30 minutes to avoid false reading.
2) Let them sit in a chair with their legs uncrossed and arm at rest on a table. Remember to
place their arm at their heart level.
3) Prepare the cuff. Make sure to get the right size to avoid inaccurate reading. Secure it on
the bicep of your patient. Get your stethoscope and place the ear tips in your ears and
place the diaphragm or bell (depending on your preference) on the brachial artery of your
patient.
4) Extend the arm of your patient. Feel and listen to the bounding in their brachial artery.
5) Watch the aneroid monitor. Inflate the cuff with the rubber bulb to 180-200 mmHg or just
ask your patient on what their systolic normally runs and increase the pressure for about
30 mmHg over their normal blood pressure.
6) After you inflate, begin to slowly deflate the rubber bulb and listen through stethoscope.
Note the number where the fist beats hit (systolic pressure). Then, continue listening until
the heartbeat sound stops and jot down the number again (diastolic pressure).
7) Lastly, tell your patient what you’ve got and explain to them what that is.