Clinicalskills.net Resources
Measuring blood pressure part 2: procedure
(featuring alternative sphygmomanometers to mercury)
Return to Clinicalskills.net Resource List |
pdf of Procedure 
About this procedure:
This procedure describes how to recognise the Korotkoff sounds, and how to position the patient and the blood pressure cuff when measuring blood pressure. It describes how to estimate the systolic pressure, explains the auscultatory gap, and describes how to measure the diastolic pressures. The procedure explains how to document the readings, and discusses the pros and cons of K4 and K5 readings. (Note that an alternative version of this procedure is also available, showing use of a mercury sphygmomanometer.)
Author:
Demonstrated by Richard Hatchett, Principal Lecturer Adult Nursing, London South Bank University.Last updated:
April 2008; last reviewed May 2009
References:
Hjortskov N, Rissen D, Blangsted AK, et al. (2004) The effect of mental stress on heart rate variability and blood pressure during computer work. Eur J Applied Physiol 92(1-2): 84-89. www.springerlink.com/content/tawr8yuyqt0fk0kf/
O'Brien E, Asmar R, Beilin L. (2003) European Society of Hypertension
recommendations for conventional, ambulatory and home blood pressure
measurement. Journal of Hypertension 21: 821-848.
http://www.bhsoc.org/bp_monitors/ESH_BP_rec.pdf
Key Reading:
Beevers G, Gregory YHL, O’Brien E. (2001) Blood pressure measurement. Part II—Conventional sphygmomanometry: technique of auscultatory blood pressure measurement. Br Med J 322: 1043-1047. www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/322/7293/1043
Bailey RH, Bauer JH. (1993) A review of common errors in indirect measurement of blood pressure. Arch Intern Med 153: 2741-2748. archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/153/24/2741
British Hypertension Society website: www.bhsoc.org
Hatchett R, Curzio J, Stetson N. (2007) Clinical observation and monitoring devices. In: Hatchett R, Thompson DR (eds). Cardiac Nursing: A Comprehensive Guide, 2nd edn. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, pp. 99-127.
Ljungvall P, Thorvinger B, Thulin T. (1989) The influence of a heart level pillow on the result of blood pressure measurement. J Hypertens 3: 471-474.
National Institute for Clinical Excellence. (2004) Hypertension: Management of Hypertension in Adults in Primary Care. London: NICE. Available at www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG34/guidance/pdf/English.
Williams B, Poulter NR, Brown MJ, et al. (2004) The BHS Guidelines
Working Party Guidelines for Management of Hypertension: Report of the
Fourth Working Party of the British Hypertension Society, 2004 –
BHS IV. J Hum Hypertens 18: 139-185. www.bhsoc.org/Latest_BHS_management_Guidelines.stm
Skills for Health:
This procedure links to the following
competences on the Skills for Health website:
CHS19 – Undertake physiological measurements
www.skillsforhealth.org.uk
To access the Skills for Health site, you must register first, but this
is free. Log in with your user name and password, then click on “Competence
Search” in the menu on the right-hand side. We recommend copying
and pasting the number of the competence given above into the
search box (for example, CHS19) and then clicking on “Search”.
The competence you want should then be among the results listed. Although
we will update any titles that we find have gone out of date, please
note that, because the Skills for Health competences are updated regularly,
you will need to check the Skills for Health website to confirm that
the competences listed above are still valid.
Related Procedures:
Measuring
blood pressure part 1: equipment (featuring alternative sphygmomanometers
to mercury)
Measuring blood pressure part
3: the patient (featuring alternative sphygmomanometers to mercury)
Measuring blood pressure
part 2: procedure (using a mercury sphygmomanometer)
Measuring blood pressure
part 3: the patient (using a mercury sphygmomanometer)
Measuring blood
pressure lying/sitting and standing
Measuring blood
pressure lying/sitting and standing
Return to Clinicalskills.net Resource List |
pdf of Procedure