Help!! I'm having trouble hearing BPs!!!

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Jan 20, 2005

What kind of stethoscope are you using? How many times did this happen? Was the pulse of the patient very slow or very irregular?

There are lots of reasons you could've had a hard time hearing it. No cause for alarm just yet, ok?

LauraLou · Jan 20, 2005

Do you have a good stethoscope? I can't hear anything with the cheap Sprague ones.

alintanurse · Jan 20, 2005

I heard them fine in lab, but suddenly I'm having trouble hearing them at clinicals, even at home...... any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!
Jenna

I agree with the other posts----you need a quality stethoscope and .....are your ears clean? :chuckle

baby_nurse_jenna · Jan 20, 2005

I have a Littmann stethescope...

Jabramac · Jan 20, 2005

Practice practice practice. Even with lots of practice, sometimes some people just have very hard BP's to hear. As stated above, what was the situation you were trying to hear BP's- Obese pts, weak thready pulse, could the BP have been very low? In nursing school I checked a BP and thought I heard it at 70. Just one beat. The staff nurse checked and infact her pulse pressure was non existant. What about the other sounds in the room. Was it quiet?

lisamc1RN, LPN · Jan 20, 2005

Are you being distracted by the outside noises. You may want to close your eyes and really focus on the bp. Shut your mind off to all outside distractions. :)

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Jan 20, 2005

OK. Here are some tips.

Turn down the TV and close the door. (After informing the patient of your intentions.)

Palpate the radial pulse to get an idea of how fast and how strong the heart is beating.

Make sure the chestpiece is facing the correct way.

Have the patient turn the hand palm up.

Make sure the arrow on the BP cuff matches to the site of the artery.

Deflate slowly till you get a first beat, then deflate slowly again toward the end.

Don't deflate the cuff very fast if you have someone with a very slow or very irregular pulse, else you might miss the most important beats.

CHATSDALE · Jan 20, 2005

are you having trouble hearing low voices or other tones...you may want to have your hearing checked..

palpitate. if you must

get a electronic b/p kit

alintanurse · Jan 20, 2005

Consumer Reports magazine rated the Omron digital BP machine as the best,and most accurate. Wrist models did not rate well.

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Jan 20, 2005

Gotta warn you, though. Electronic models don't work on people with very irregular or very slow pulses. And if there was a very high or low BP recorded from the electronic, the first thing you'd need to do is--you guessed it--confirm it via a manual cuff.

So I don't recommend spending the money.

How do I know? I spent the money. :imbar

alintanurse · Jan 20, 2005

Personally,I don't use a digital machine but I know alot of nurses and facilities that rely on them. I would always have a stethoscope and BP cuff on hand anyway.