Blood Pressure Howto Essay

Submitted By eadrien
Words: 404
Pages: 2

How to monitor blood pressure at home by. Elza Adrien

1. wash hands & find a safe setting

Make sure to find a quite setting so you are able to hear the heartbeat.

The area must have a comfortable place, such as a table, to rest your arm at heart level.

Ensure that you are completely comfortable in this setting

2. Gather supplies

Stethoscope

Sphygmomanometer (blood pressure cuff)

Locate release valve on your hand bulb before pumping up the cuff.

Gauge (measuring tool)
3. begin

Before applying the cuff your arm should be straight with your open palm facing upward.

Locate your pulse in the bend of your elbow, where the brachial artery is located.

Place the head of the stethoscope in the general area where the pulse is.

Secure the cuff onto your arm keeping the head of the stethoscope in place. The end of the cuff should be an inch above the bend of your elbow.

Place the stethoscope in your ear, tilting the ear pieces forward into the ear.

4. inflating the cuff

Hold the pressure gauge in your left hand and the bulb in your right hand.

Turn the release valve clockwise to end the airflow to the bulb.

Begin squeezing the bulb to inflate the cuff, you may inflate it until the gauge reads about 30 points (mm Hg) above your expected systolic pressure (ex. 120 mm hg).

Continue concentrating on the gauge and slowly release air from the cuff by turning the valve counterclockwise.

Listen carefully for the first pulse beat heard and keep note