Can diastolic be higher than systolic?

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Specializes in Cardiology.

Can this happen? An acquaintance of mine is in the hospital for possible DVT and her BP is supposedly 112/120. Quick history, just recovering from a DVT turned PE released on coumadin therapy. It was d/c yesterday because of high PT levels (not sure what they were). Back in ER today due to inflammation of leg. Any thoughts on the BP? Thanks.

...Jennifer...

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It's impossible....

Maxs

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Specializes in Cardiology.

That's what I thought... someone must have inverted the numbers. Thanks.

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Are you getting these results with the manual sphygmometer? Because The electronic ones sometimes just go crazy.

Maxs

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The sys. is the contraction of the heart and the dias. is the relaxation so its not possible....

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Wouldn't that make the diastolic, the systolic, therefore, then the systolic would be the diastolic and the nurse who asked this question submitting to a SUDS.:rotfl:

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Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.

Nothing's impossible! :)

A diastolic peak pressure with an intra-arotic balloon pump can be equal to or higher than the sytolic pressure.

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Nothing's impossible! :)

A diastolic peak pressure with an intra-arotic balloon pump can be equal to or higher than the sytolic pressure.

okay - this sounds interesting - could you explain it?

thanks

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Specializes in Cardiology.
Are you getting these results with the manual sphygmometer? Because The electronic ones sometimes just go crazy.

Maxs

No I'm not there taking the BP. This is info relayed to me on the phone. I told her to the best of my knowledge, it seemed that those numbers had to be wrong. I just wanted to double check myself on here. ;) Thanks.

...Jennifer...

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Specializes in NICU.

Maybe it should be 212/120 instead of 112/120.

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Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.
okay - this sounds interesting - could you explain it?

It has to do with the counterpulsation effect of the balloon. The balloon sits in the descending aorta. The balloon is deflated during systole and inflates during diastole. When the balloon is inflated, it creates a greater pressure on the blood volume (pushes blood up and down) than during normal diastole and this additional pressure promotes perfusion to the coronary arteries and systemically. With this counterpulsation a "space" is created during diastole and when the balloon deflates (at systole) the heart works under less pressure to eject blood from the LV (it lowers svr).

With our balloon pumps, the augmented diastolic pressure is almost always more than the unassisted systolic pressure.

I hope that makes sense, it's a pretty simple description. If you'd like more info, I can find you a good website.

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