Chapter 5: Blood Pressure

Test Yourself: List in the Correct Order

List the steps below in the correct order for each of the following techniques. Write your list on a piece of paper.

Two-step blood pressure technique

  • Now, you can start blood pressure so place the bell of the cleansed stethoscope over the brachial artery using a light touch and complete seal.
  • Open the valve slightly.
  • Deflate the cuff quickly.
  • Palpate the radial or brachial artery, inflate the blood pressure cuff until the pulse is no longer felt, and then continue to inflate 20–30 mm Hg more:  this is the maximum pressure inflation.
  • Inflate the cuff to the maximum pressure inflation number.
  • Deflate the cuff slowly and evenly at about 2 mm Hg per second.
  • Note the points at which you hear the first appearance of Korotkoff sound (systolic blood pressure) and the last Korotkoff sound before it goes silent (diastolic blood pressure).

One-step blood pressure technique

  • Place the bell of the cleansed stethoscope over the brachial artery using a light touch, but with an airtight seal.
  • Open the valve slightly.
  • Palpate the radial or brachial artery, inflate the blood pressure cuff until the pulse is no longer felt, and then continue to inflate 20–30 mmHg more.
  • Deflate the cuff slowly and evenly at about 2 mm Hg per second.
  • Note the points at which you hear the first appearance of Korotkoff sound (systolic blood pressure) and the last Korotkoff sound before it goes silent (diastolic blood pressure).
Go to the next page to see the correct order of steps for these techniques.

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Vital Sign Measurement Across the Lifespan - 1st Canadian edition Copyright © 2018 by Ryerson University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.