Blood pressure

Triddin · Oct 2, 2018

It gives you an idea how high to go. I was taught to feel the radial when pumping the first time. Whenever I felt the pulse stop, I added 20mmhg to the pressure I felt the pulse stop, then auscultated to get the actual pressire

Wuzzie · Oct 2, 2018

Is it possible to get a systolic BP with a manual cuff and 2 fingers on the radial pulse? I don't think so.

And you would be wrong. It's a palpated BP and has been around forever. It is used in situations where the ambient noise level around precludes you from hearing the pulse return with a stethoscope and an automatic machine is unavailable or impractical or when the pulse is so weak the machine cannot read it. You palpate the radial pulse and note the number on the gauge that you feel the pulse return. You cannot, however, get a diastolic reading. It is documented as ###/p and is read as, for example, "60 over palp". Why do you not think this is possible?

middleagednurse · Oct 2, 2018

OK I meant to say diastolic instead of systolic. I went to the PA today and the MA proceeded to take my BP with a manual cuff and 2 fingers on my radial pulse. I had never seen this. I mentioned it to the PA and she said it was inappropriate. The MAs answer was "someone else is using the stethoscope". I hope that office has more than one stethoscope.

JKL33 · Oct 2, 2018

OK I meant to say diastolic instead of systolic. I went to the PA today and the MA proceeded to take my BP with a manual cuff and 2 fingers on my radial pulse. I had never seen this. I mentioned it to the PA and she said it was inappropriate. The MAs answer was "someone else is using the stethoscope". I hope that office has more than one stethoscope.

I hate that type of behavior, frankly. It's both unbecoming and wrong. The appropriate thing for the PA to have done would be say something like, "Let me do a quick double-check..." and then redo it according to his/her idea of what is proper. Then speak to the MA privately if there seemed to be a concern.

My opinion is reinforced here; pretty sure the MA doesn't purchase the equipment for the office.

By the way, there's a write-up via PMC of a small study of obtaining both systolic and diastolic pressure via palpation. Haven't tried it myself.

Wuzzie · Oct 2, 2018

OK I meant to say diastolic instead of systolic. I went to the PA today and the MA proceeded to take my BP with a manual cuff and 2 fingers on my radial pulse. I had never seen this. I mentioned it to the PA and she said it was inappropriate. The MAs answer was "someone else is using the stethoscope". I hope that office has more than one stethoscope.

Well that clears things up. I was wondering how you had never heard of a palpated BP. Let me guess your BP was 122/80. Pretty sure she faked whatever number she wrote down. Regardless the PA was a shmuck and should have dealt with the MA behind the scenes.