How do you take blood pressure with a blood pressure monitor?
Friday, May 1st, 2009 at
5:25 pm
I'm with my grandmother right now, and she needs her blood pressure taken. She has a Target model Blood pressure monitor, manual inflation. I've done it before, and I think I'm doing everything right, but could somebody tell me how to do it? She can't tell me because she's too drowsy. It has a screen reading, but I do have to pump it myself, and deflate it. thank you very much in advance!!
Tagged with: Blood • Monitor • Pressure • take
Filed under: Blood Pressure Monitors
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I don’t know exactly what kind of blood pressure machine you’re talking about. Usually you wrap a band around the arm with a stethoscope underneath it, pump up the cuff to approx 180 mmHg, and then slowly manually release the valve that releases the air out of the cuff while you listen for beats. The first heard beat, as you look at the dial with numbers, is systolic, and the last heard beat is diastolic. I imagine this machine does the “listening” for you and gives you a read out on the screen. The only thing I can tell you is to pump it up till you see approx 180 and then slowly deflate it. The concern that comes to mind is your grandmothers drowsiness. Why is she so drowsy? Is it normal for her to take a nap this time of day? If the answer is no and you are having a hard time getting her blood pressure, my concern is that you either need to get an actual person over to check on your grandmother right now or call 911. My instinct would be to call 911, because by the time you call someone else, it might be too late for her. Paramedics will take her blood pressure. Don’t hesitate. Unless you have someone available right now to come check on grandma, call 911.