Digital monitors are fast replacing their traditional counterparts. More and more people prefer electronic machines that can self-inflate and give readings conveniently. However, the aneroid monitors are still considered to provide aaccurate results than an electronic one. Most doctors use a manual aneroid blood pressure unit to check blood pressure. Practice and continuous use can make enable anyone to make a blood pressure reading manually to get next to perfect results.
Instructions
Things You’ll Need: Blood pressure cuff and gauge, Stethoscope
Step 1 – Let the person sit comfortable in an arm chair and rest the arm on the arm rest. Now stretch the left arm and move it upwards slightly bent at the elbow joint. Keep the feet flat on the floor.
Step 2 – Ensure the person is relaxed and calm,. If you take blood pressure readings regularly, do it at the same time. Remember that blood pressure differs in different arms almost by 20 millimetres each. Blood pressure is usually high during the day and low in the evenings.
Step 3 – Turn the sir release valve on the sphygmomanometer clockwise and close it. Now roll up the sleeves and tie the cuff. The cuff should fit snugly. Not too tight and not too loose. Check that the valve tube has not twisted anywhere.
Step 4 – First locate the pulse with your index and middle finger inside the upper arm, the area just above the elbow bend. Wear the stethoscope ear pieces in your ears and place the bell of the stethoscope on the skin below the cuff. The pulse is strongest at the brachial artery. Place the chest piece of the stethoscope on it.
Step 5 — Start pumping the rubber bulb attached to the device. You will hear sound scoming in the stethoscope. Keep pumping and releasing steadily. When the cuff is too tight the blood flow to the artery will stop. The gauge at this time should read 30 to 40 millimeters. This is more than a person’s normal systolic pressure. Inflate the cuff to 180 millimeters, if the normal blood pressure is not known but never inflate the cuff more than required.
Step 6 – Now start turning the air valve in a clockwise manner slowly to deflate the cuff and release pressure. Ideally the pressure should begin to drop 2 to 3 millimetres per second.
Step 7 – Now listen closely to the artery as blood will flow again. It may sound like a tapping noise. Check the reading on the gauge. This is systolic pressure. The pressure will continue to drop and as you hear the sound fading till they stop. Check the gauge reading again for recording the diastolic pressure. Let all air in the arm cuff release.
Step 8 – Take a person’s blood pressure twice to confirm results. Wait for about five minute or till the blood flow in the arm feels normal.