blood pressure

Question 1

what is blood pressure and what is the measurement of blood pressure used in clinical practice

Answer 1

blood pressure is the outwards pressure exerted by blood on the walls of blood vessels
Systemic arterial blood pressure is often measured in clinical practice (systolic and diastolic)

Question 2

what is the difference between systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressure, and what are the average values of each

Answer 2

systolic arterial blood pressure is the outwards pressure exerted on the arteries walls during systole(heart contraction) <140mm Hg, whereas diastolic is during diastole(relaxation) <90mm Hg

Question 3

what is hypertension defined as

Answer 3

high blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg or higher

Question 4

what is pulse pressure

Answer 4

pulse pressure is the difference between the systolic and diastolic blood pressures, eg. 140-90=50.

Question 5

what is Mean Arterial blood Pressure (MAP)

Answer 5

average arterial blood pressure during a single cardiac cycle(contraction & relaxation)

Question 6

why is MAP not found by averaging the values of systolic and diastolic blood pressures

Answer 6

because diastole is twice as long as systole

Question 7

what are the 2 ways in which MAP can be calculated

Answer 7

MAP = [(diastolic x 2)+(systolic)] / 3
OR
MAP = diastolic + (pulse pressure/3)
(units is mm Hg)

Question 8

what is the average range of MAP and why is it important to maintain it in this narrow range

Answer 8

average range is 70-105mm Hg, must be kept within this range so that pressure is high enough to perfuse blood but not so high that it damages the blood vessels