Nurses,what is the highest BP you've ever seen recorded on a pt.?

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when my mom was in the hospital last month,there was an ECG monitor in her room that got there from the trauma center and it showed the previous 5 recordings. the first BP recording of this trauma patient was 285/168. that was the highest that i have ever seen. my mom has hypertension and a few years ago,she has a reading of 230/155 and a capillary in her nose burst and she had a nosebleed that lasted 10 minutes. nurses,can you remember the highest ever that you've seen on a patient??

Specializes in Emergency Room.

Personally, I probably would have tried some sedation first before pressure meds.

What do I know? I'm just an ER nurse.

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Post cath patient who needed urgent CABG with systolic like 230.

BLAST THOSE CORONARIES OPEN ;)

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Post cath patient who needed urgent CABG with systolic like 230.

BLAST THOSE CORONARIES OPEN ;)

Alas, coronary arteries do not perfuse in systole, unlike other arteries, because they are encased in contracting muscle. Coronary arteries perfuse in diastole, from the diastolic pressure in the aortic root, as they originate just next to the aortic valve cusps on the outside of the ventricle.

This is why:

1) Intraoartic balloon pumps augment diastolic pressure at the dicrotic notch, when the AV snaps shut and coronary filling is at its greatest before runoff drops the intraaortic pressure, and

2) High systolics are problematic, because the ventricle is working its hardest against resistance precisely at the moment it's getting "paid" the least.

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what was your BP doing? :)

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Hey there

I'm a new member of this site

I joined to ask you about my blood pressure

answer me if you have time to put my question

my segards

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Specializes in ED, Critical care, & Education.

340/160

This was years ago when IV lasix and IV epinephrine were packaged in very similar looking bottles. A paramedic accidentally gave the patient IV EPI instead of IV LASIX for a patient in pulmonary edema.

The mistake was noticed when the medic went to clean up the rig. To make matters worse, one paramedic actually drew up the medication and handed it off to a second medic to administer. Just goes to show that it's best practice and in the interest of your license and patient safety to draw up and administer your own medications.

The patient ended up surviving but the situation was terrible for all. I was a fairly new nurse at the time and this has always stuck with me. Lesson learned for sure.

Embrace the Journey...every shift!

~The Nurse Motivator

Latest blog post

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/50-random-acts-1090120.html

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read the Terms of Service....we cannot give you medical advice.

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