State test this week--Korotkoff sounds??

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I'm trying to study the steps for the skills tests, I have to do 8 skills, 5 pre-determined, 3 will be a surprise. I just got done fiddling around with a UK site bp video and did ok, within 2-4 mm or dead on. My question, I just read that I am suppose to listen first for Kortotkoff sounds, then take the bp. In our lecture, they didn't teach that. Has anyone been instructed to do this before taking the bp?

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Specializes in Float Pool, acute care, management/leadership.

That sounds intense I thought I had it bad with 5 skills and one of which was washing your hands for sure...so really, I only had four.

I am confused. How do you listen for the first sound and then take the BP? You shouldn't hear anything until you begin to deflate the syphgmanometer. They only thing my CNA class taught me to do before taking BP was to feel for the brachial pulse.

Good luck to you! It's not as bad as you think it is.

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You are suppose to put the sphygmo on the brachial and listen, when you don't hear the pulse anymore, then you are suppose to inflate the cuff 30mm past that point.

I'm doing 8 because home health aid is included with the cert. I was just thinking, I don't need home health. Eventually, I am suppose to get a cert so I can be an AUA, which is a step above a cna, but not quite an lpn.

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When we were taught how to take BPs we were told to inflate the cuff to 180-200mm/Hg then start deflating and listen for the first sound which is the systolic and then continue deflating until you no longer hear the sound and that's the diastolic. If you pump the cuff up to that 180-200 and then hear the sounds as soon as you start deflating it we were told to inflate it to 240 then start deflating it.

The highest BP I've ever auscultated was 186/114 and that was on an always agitated post fall resident. The lowest I ever got was 72/40 and he was still responsive and A&Ox3 with good color.

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The state tester didn't even have me listen to the K sounds, I just took the bp. It wasn't as awful as I thought it would be, and went relatively fast. I passed :yeah:

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Good for you! Most places just want an accurate BP because really that's all it boils down to.

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Actually, the Korotkoff sounds are the sounds that you are hearing through the stethoscope as you measure the blood pressure. Congratulations on passing your test!!!!! :nuke:

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