Blood Pressures ... help

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In my lab class we were taught how to take blood pressures.. like sort of...We were sort of told what to listen for and how to do it and then they only gave us like 5 minutes to practice. I went and bought a Sphygmomanometer and I have been trying to take blood pressures on my family member. I need help because I think I am doing ok but I am not really sure what I am listening for and I don't like to do it too many times in a row cause I am afraid it will hurt them so how many times can you take a bp on one person ... and what do you listen for and any tips you can give to someone learning how to take a bp for the first time :)

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wow that site was great thanks

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If you do a google search on "audio blood pressure sounds" or something similar it will bring up several. Same thing goes for lung sounds, heart sounds, bowel sounds. Got to love Google!

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That link that was posted is GREAT! It's hard to describe a sound sometimes. Also, I've noticed that when the systolic BP is reached (the first sound), the needle will kind of jump a bit. That's the only tip I really have. Diastolic you just have to listen very closely unfortunately. Blood pressures are tough!!!! Practice makes perfect! I need to remind myself to practice; I'm in a hospital that has machines that do it for you. It's a great skill to master, but unlike riding a bike you have to keep at it.

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Specializes in Pedi.

Please breathe. You are not going to hurt someone taking a blood pressure "too many times". In my old hospitals, patients undergoing sedation for procedures on the floor had to have BPs q 5 min. Practicing a few times on the same person will not cause them any harm.

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Thank you lol that is what I really wanted to know too cause I am getting the hang of it I just need practice so my family members are my guinea pigs ha ha didn't wanna do it too much if it would hurt them my old a&p teacher said you should only do a bp twice on one arm or it could hurt them I don't really remember how but I remembered she said it.

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Great Site :)

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1. Make sure that your cuff size fits your person. 80% of the arm's circumference and measure the width of your cuff (put it vertical) on the place that you are going to be taking the blood pressure to be sure that it covers half or slightly more the width of the arm.2. This part is not often done in practice but we had to do it for check off... Have patient sit in a chair with arm resting on a pillow. Inflate cuff while checking the radial pulse. Remember the point in which the pulse disappears. (This helps you from squeezing the daylight out of your person during practice). 3. Relax the cuff! Give your patient a few moments but do not remove the cuff.4. Reinflate cuff to 30 over what number you felt the pulse disappear during prior inflation. Put your stethoscope diaphragm in the antecubital space (I also have found it directly below the elbow in the bottom of that space). 5. Slowly release pressure on the cuff. You should start expecting to hear sounds around where that pulse disappeared. GOOD LUCK!!!

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Just make sure you give your person a chance to rest a few minutes in between bp checks!

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The reason you let the cuff down completely between checks (and you should raise it up overhead briefly too, if possible) is to clear the venous drainage. If you just let it down part way or pump it up again immediately you have prevented the blood from leaving the venous side of the capillary bed, and thus artificially elevated the diastolic pressure on the next reading.

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Thanks everyone! passed my vitals skills test so excited now I can actually do something in the hospital!!

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