Measurement of pressure to the patient

The correct measurement of blood pressure is an extremely important measure that significantly improves the quality of health and makes it possible to control the state of the body.

It is good to measure blood pressure in silence, when a person is emotionally calm. To achieve such a balance, a home environment helps many, where there is no fuss, exciting moments.

Blood pressure is the pressure of blood flow on the walls of blood vessels (these are arteries, veins and capillaries). It is customary to perform the procedure on the arteries. The obtained parameters determine the state of the organism as a whole.

Methods for determining pressure

Systematic measurement of indicators helps to identify the occurrence of health problems in time:

• ischemic disease;
• heart attack;
• stroke;
• kidney failure.

Pressure measurement can be done in two ways.

The first method is the Korotkov method. It is based on the use of a fairly simple tonometer, consisting of a pressure gauge, a rubber pear that pumps air in the cuff (the brachial artery is pulled over by it), a phonendoscope, through which tones are heard with a uniform and slow emission of air.

Plus next . The method has been recognized as a standard for non-invasive determination of indicators, has a stable position for the movement of the brush.

Minuses:

• has a dependence on the individual coordination abilities of a specialist;
• sensitive to tone changes in the room;
• the quality of the indicators depends on the location of the phonendoscope in relation to the vessel;
• requires direct contact of parts with the patient's skin;
• application is possible after completing a course on the use of the device.

The oscillometric method involves the use of electronic devices. They measure the pulsation of the onslaught of air that occurs when blood moves through a compressed segment of the arm.

Pros:

• does not depend on individual characteristics of the person working with the device;
• it is possible to determine accurate readings through thin tissue;
• there is no need to learn how to use the device.

Minus one. An accurate assessment is possible only with a stationary hand, if there is a movement or the hand is pressed to the heart, the tonometer will respond to the person's breathing.

To measure pressure, doctors use mechanical and electronic meters. In order to find out digital data at home, it is better to use semiautomatic devices, since mechanical meters are good for the Korotkov method: it can be used only after special training, independent use allows errors. And the use of semi-automatic tools requires only compliance with the recommendations.

What nuances should be taken into account before the start of events?

• The first golden rule is to always measure your blood pressure at certain times of the day in order to accurately assess the state of the body.
• An hour before the start of the procedure, resist the urge to drink coffee or smoke, refuse to take a bath or shower.
• It is necessary to sit in a normal position - do not bend your back, which leads to an increase in abdominal pressure, do not cross your legs or take a Turkish position.
• Perform this procedure for the patient only in a sitting position 2-3 minutes after rest, lack of sleep adversely affects the results.
• Do not exercise before the event.
• The person to whom the procedure is performed should not be with a full bladder, suffer from constipation. He should not eat before the measurement.
• It is important to familiarize yourself with the rules for using the tool in advance.
• If the blood pressure monitor is equipped with a wrist cuff, it must be placed at the same level as the heart.
• The room where the procedure is performed should be optimal in terms of temperature, that is, not be stuffy or cold. This will change the reading.
• Pressure measurement must be performed silently.
• If you need to measure the pressure twice, then between the procedures you need to take a break of 1-2 minutes.
• It is advisable to enter the readings of the apparatus in a diary or protocol, indicating the date, time and name of the medication taken before measurements.
• Measurement of blood pressure is required to be performed systematically - even when the position is stabilized.

Features of indications

To determine the digital value, the following classification is applied:

• the optimal pressure is 120/80 and below;
• normal - below 130/85;
• normal elevated - up to 139/89 mm Hg. Art.

The next is hypertension. It happens in 3 degrees (mild, moderate, severe and systolic): all these terms speak of the numbers of arterial values, and not of the severity of the patient's position.

However, the parameters may differ depending on the age and condition of the person:

1. Children. To accurately determine the digital value, you should consult with a pediatrician, he will accurately draw up a schedule and method for future measurements. It is also necessary to remember that at different ages children have different data, such figures as in adults appear in adolescence - about 14 years old. For a child, a semi-automatic device with a children's cuff would be the best option.
2. Aged people. Here, one should take into account the characteristics of an aging organism, burdened with chronic diseases of the hematopoietic system, so it is better to perform a multiple number of consecutive measurements and take the average value as a basis. It would also be good to perform these measurements in different poses, because in old age people are subject to sharp jumps - postural hypotension - when changing body position. It is better not to hurry with the diagnosis, because of the same instability.
3. Cardiac arrhythmia. In this case, there is a discord in the frequency, rhythm of contractions of the heart departments, because of which the systolic value varies sharply from beat to beat. Taking into account all the features, a certain number of measurements are performed, obviously improbable data are discarded, and the average parameter is calculated. In this case, it is necessary to release air from the cuff at a slower speed.
4. Large shoulder circumference. Since the goal is to accurately measure blood pressure, it is necessary to use a cuff on the wrist, while taking into account the possible difference between the digital parameters: the shoulder and wrist have different values.
5. Pregnancy. An excellent resolution of such a situation for a woman is very often prevented by hypertension, which “played out” against the background of pregnancy or was already present before it. However, thanks to the systematic monitoring of the condition, jumps can be prevented in a timely manner, thereby alleviating the condition of the expectant mother and the development of complications in the baby. The event is performed in a semi-lying state. With a very high or extremely low result, it is important to inform the gynecologist in time. It is also a good idea to perform a control procedure at home: was mommy excited during her appointment at the hospital. After all, the main goal is not to treat it in vain.

Problems with the cardiovascular system.
Hypertension is a persistent elevated position of digital values. According to statistics, 39% of men and 41% of women suffer from this disease. It causes 100,000 deaths per year. The development of this condition leads not only to the appearance of cardiovascular complications, but also reduces memory, leads to paralysis, loss of speech, and severe disability.

Naturally, the pressure changes within 24 hours up to 1000 times: especially when a person is engaged in heavy physical exertion, there is an increase, but when vigorous activity is stopped, it returns to normal after 5-10 minutes. If it goes down slowly or simply keeps at a high level, this is hypertension.

Reducing High Settings

With hypertension, the indicators of the upper and lower data are considered optimal, when there is no risk of complications, and the blood supply remains at the proper level.

The main goal of treating hypertension is not a sharp, but a gradual decrease in indicators. If the patient is in old age, the figures can be left higher than for young people.

The first and foremost rule is that high rates should not be sharply reduced: a sharp drop in pressure at night worsens the blood supply to the brain and heart, which can cause a morning stroke, especially in people with severe circulatory failure or with severe forms of hypertension. Moreover, as statistics show, it is during the period from 6 to 10 in the morning that the most severe attacks occur.

Important: a sharp decrease in the level is necessary only in the event of the development of heart failure or the manifestation of a heart attack (and then by 20%).

With overestimated results, you need to carefully monitor the morning numbers, which will help in establishing an accurate diagnosis.

Crises - a rapid increase in results by 50%, which entails:

• severe headache;
• vomiting;
• nausea;
• stroke;
• heart attack;
• pulmonary edema;
• threat to the normal functioning of vital organs.

Crises can develop not only on the basis of hypertension, but because of neuroses, vegetovascular dystonia.

The current level of development of medicine makes it possible to stop any crisis, but it should be remembered that prevention and control play an important role in this case.

Atherosclerosis has a close relationship with an increased value. This disease, caused by a violation of lipid metabolism, leads to an increase in pressure.

It is impossible to feel an increase in cholesterol in the blood; to control it, it is important to systematically donate blood for tests.

Reduced pressure condition

A large number of people of different age categories suffer from a decrease in arterial parameters. Reduced results can be an individual norm of a person and have a hereditary predisposition.

The hypotensive crisis is characterized by the following points:

• the parameters are extremely low - up to 75/55 mm Hg. Art.;
• there are dull aching pains in the heart;
• migraine pains with dizziness begin;
• when you change your posture, fainting may occur.

Hypotension can be caused by:

• bad climate;
• the presence of infectious diseases;
• systematic stress;
• bad nutrition.

In such a case, it is necessary to treat low blood pressure as an independent disease.

There are people who live with hypotension all their lives, while feeling great, as this is their feature. But if the cause of hypotension is various diseases, the goal is to get rid of the disease.

Pressure monitoring

Periodically it is necessary to carry out monitoring - multiple measurements for a certain period. This is important in the selection of drugs for the treatment of hypertension. After all, one-time determinations cannot show such a clear picture of the change in the results, because even normotonics - people with a normal state of pressure - experience a frequent increase during the day.

Thanks to this method, a person with hypertension receives adequate medical care, the purpose of which is:

• normalization of the daily result;
• normalization of variability figures;
• reduction in the load on the walls of blood vessels;
• adequate control of morning bursts.

To conduct such studies, special tonometers are used - monitors, the purpose of which is to collect and store over 100 indicators with the exact date and time.

Mistakes made during the event

There are many factors that affect the accuracy of data.

They are usually divided into several types.

Methodological errors do not depend on the quality and type of apparatus:

• the hand is below the region of the heart - the numbers are too high;
• the hand is above the center of the heart - the numbers are underestimated;
• lack of support for the stability of the spine and the back is bent - overestimated data;
• arrhythmia - indicators “jump” all the time;
• the cuff is clamped too tightly - the parameters are too high;
• the cuff is superimposed on the fabric - inaccurate data.

Errors when using the Korotkoff method:

• rounding the result to 0 or 5;
• underestimation of the result;
• setting for a deliberately designated total;
• fatigue and poor memory.

In this case, the pressure gauge should be located directly at eye level - not lower or higher, which affects the determination of indicators. The phonendoscope should not be too pressed, in contact with the tube or cuff, it must be pressed against the skin exactly at the site of the artery. The cuff should not be worn over clothing, only on the skin, the pumping level should be extreme - not at a fast or slow speed.

Errors when using an electronic tonometer:

• hand movement;
• conversation while working with the tool;
• performance of the event after physical exertion - overestimated data.

When applying the Korotkov method, the patient himself hears the beginning of the shocks and their termination, which means that in this way, with well-developed coordination, measurements can be performed independently without using a stethoscope. And the goal of defining indicators will be achieved.

Remember that during the course of the day, arterial digital pressure values ​​change with atmospheric pressure, so one or two measurements will not give a clear picture of the position.