Blood pressure can be checked electronically and digitally. Although digital monitors are convenient to use and give near accurate results, they may malfunction, run out of power or batteries. At such times it is important to know how to use a stethoscope, sphygmomanometer and blood pressure cuff.
Instructions
Things You’ll Need: Blood-pressure cuff, Sphygmomanometer, Stethoscope
Step 1 – Write down the person’s last blood pressure reading. Collect your blood pressure unit all at one place. The sphygmomanometer, the stethoscope and the blood pressure cuff.
Step 2 – Consider what body area you will be checking the blood pressure on. Use the patient’s arm, ideally. Make your patient sit comfortably in an upright position. Give support to the arm and keep it facing slightly up.
Step 3 – Now start tying the arm cuff just above the elbow crease. Check that the cuff is completely deflated. Keep the sphygmomanometer next to the patient’s arm.
Step 4 – Place the stethoscope diaphragm in the elbow groove. Put the ear pieces in your ears. Close the valve gauge and start inflating the cuff. Do it rapidly. Inflate the to a 30 mm/hg above your patient’s last recorded blood pressure value.
Step 5 – Now start releasing the valve steadily, at a rate of 2 to 3 mm/hg per second. Now pay attention to the first sound from the stethoscope . Once you hear it remember to note the value at which you heard it. This is the systolic blood pressure value. Now wait for the sound to fade. Pay attention to record the last sound. This is the diastolic pressure.
Step 6 – Deflate the cuff. Remove it. Make him feel relaxed and note down his blood pressure value to be shared with him.