How to Take Blood Pressure
You can smell something thing tasty and spicy being prepared in the kitchen. When it is set on the dining table and you are making your way towards it hoping to be served, the thought of blood pressure stops you. Hence if you are a patient of blood pressure, it is always advised that you should avoid meals being spicy or salt enriched. Going to a clinic or a hospital to check your blood pressure may not be feasible sometimes. If you are able to do it by yourself at home it will not only save time but your blood pressure will be kept under a regular check. However, in order to do so you should know how to check the blood pressure which is certainly not a rocket science.
Instructions
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1
Make sure you have the equipment available at home for checking the blood pressure which is known as sphygmomanometer and preferably a stethoscope to listen. Avoid smoking, drinking alcohol or coffee atleast 15 minutes before taking the blood pressure.
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2
Avoid smoking; drinking alcohol or coffee atleast 15 minutes before taking the blood pressure as these things make the blood pressure rise.
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3
Bend your elbow and put the cuff over on your bare arm with its lower edge about an inch above the bend of the elbow as you close it round the arm. Remember to attach the Velcro joined to the ends of the cuff over.
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4
Place the earpieces of the stethoscope in your ears and place the stethoscope bell at the side of the cuff away from your heart and over the brachial artery, which is found in the inner area of your bent elbow.
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5
Fixing the stethoscope bell away from your heart in the inner area of your bent elbow, at the side of the cuff and above the brachial artery put the earpieces of the stethoscope in your ears.
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6
Along the side of the rubber bulb, tighten the screw and squeeze the bulb to pump air into the bulb thus making the cuff expand and inflated until there is no more blood flow through the brachial artery.
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7
As there will be no blood flow through the brachial artery, no sound will be heard in the stethoscope but the pressure in the cuff is increased quickly to 30 millimeters of mercury above the same point and pulse in the wrist can no longer be felt.
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8
Decrease the pressure in the cuffs by turning the screw again to loosen the valve in the bulb. At this point the rate of drop is 2 millimeters per second while blood starts to flow through the artery again.
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9
Note the reading in the column of mercury at that point, as the cuff loosens and blood flows freely in the artery with no sound heard in the stethoscope.
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10
At this point, again note the reading of the mercury column and record the SBP and the DBP numbers immediately. Repeat the same process till you see the same readings in the mercury column.
