Blood Pressure Unit 1

Question 1

What is making the noise we are listening for?

Answer 1

Turbulence of blood and then the laminar flow when the sound disappears.

Question 2

Why is there a large individual variability in BP?

Answer 2

Can be acute like stress from white coat syndrome, circadian rhythm , nutritional factor like caffeine, effects from certain drugs, disease, posture, and exercise

Question 3

Can blood pressure Be too low?

Answer 3

Yes if they are symptomatic light headed. Can also be really big like 480/350

Question 4

What are the types of BP measurement?

Answer 4

Ausculatory , oscillometric, and invasive

Question 5

What is ausculatory blood pressure?

Answer 5

Latin for listening , noninvasive, typically done with brachial artery, usually use right side,

Question 6

What are the korotkoff sounds?

Answer 6

Dr Nikolai korotkoff in 1905 coined these, 1. Snapping sounds is systolic 2. Murmurs between systolic and diastolic 3. And 4. Are pressures usually 10 mm above diastolic which are thumping and muting. 5. The silence as the cuff pressure drops below the diastolic!

Question 7

What should we do if a large adult cuff doesn’t fit?

Answer 7

Can use thigh cuff, wrist monitor,

Question 8

What happens if the cuff doesn’t fit right?

Answer 8

Is too big there will be an underestimation of BP, if too small there will be an overestimation.

Question 9

What should we notice if we do blood pressure on the ankle? And what disease do we always check the ankle with?

Answer 9

It will be higher than 120/80 because it has to work to push the blood back up to the heart. We always check ankles is people with peripheral artery disease!

Question 10

What do we do if we are taking a blood pressure on someone we have never met?

Answer 10

Always do left side and right side! And take the HIGHER of the number!! Don’t want to low ball it!

Question 11

How can an EMT do a blood pressure in a loud ambulance?

Answer 11

Occlude art room and then palpate the radial artery in the wrist. When you feel pulse there it is the systolic

Question 12

What if someone has long sleeves on?

Answer 12

Do it over the sleeve or have them take their arm out! Do not roll the sleeve up!

Question 13

How long do we wait between measurements?

Answer 13

60 seconds

Question 14

What if we can’t hear anything?

Answer 14

Bell turned wrong way

Question 15

What if you find a high blood pressure after the first measurement?

Answer 15

Don’t tell them!! They will get nervous, just say you couldn’t hear it well and take it again!

Question 16

What is the part that you put on the skin called?

Answer 16

The bell is for low frequency and is the smaller one. The diaphragm is for high frequency and is the larger one. We usually use the diaphragm for BP

Question 17

What is oscillometric BP measurement t?

Answer 17

An automatic blood pressure cuff, uses vibrations . Non invasive, little training required. Can use in clinical or even ambulatory . It’s reliability and validity have been questioned. Do not use this during exercise!!

Question 18

What is invasive blood pressure measurement?

Answer 18

Stick a sensor in the artery. Allows for real time and very accurate measurement! Used in research only!

Question 19

What is pulse pressure?

Answer 19

Difference in max and minimum pressures. Systolic-diastolic. If less than 15 that’s too narrow

Question 20

What is mean arterial pressure?

Answer 20

Average pressure throughout the cardiac cycle. DBP +[1/3pulse pressure] OR SVRCO. We cannot just average both because the diastole is for a shorter time

Question 21

What is SVR?

Answer 21

Systemic vascular resistance MAP/CO. In mmhg *min/L

Question 22

What is CO?

Answer 22

Cardiac output in L/min HR*SV. stroke volume is in ML/bear

Question 23

What is double product?

Answer 23

Workload on the heart. HR*SBP big number no units

Question 24

What is actually being measured?

Answer 24

The high and low pressure in the artery systole is contract and diastole is relax