Blood Pressure, Vital Signs and BMI

The British and Irish Hypertension Society suggest you increase the pressure to 30 mmHg above the estimated systolic blood pressure.

D is the correct answer - the cuff should be level with the heart.

A - patient should be seated for 5 minutes

B - it is recommended to reduce the pressure at a rate of 2-3mmHg/second

C - the bladder of the BP cuff should encircle 80-100 percent of the arm; if it too small/less than this, it will overestimate BP

E - we use the diaphragm of the stethoscope to listen for the Korotkoff sounds

The fifth Korotkoff sound is 'nothing' - diastolic pressure is the pressure when the sounds disappear. Some text books/sources say the fourth sound but the fifth sound appears to be more accepted, although it may slightly underestimate the true diastolic pressure.

In most patients you want to maintain sats between 96 and 100 percent, although in some patients with COPD you will want to aim for sats below this. Also remember that it is just as important to consider what is normal for the patient (a professional athlete may have a systolic BP of 90) and what the trend is doing: a resp rate of 18 would be encouraging if the previous two observations were 26 and 22, but more concerning if the previous observations were 12 and 16.

This question was simply to remind you that whenever you examine a patient you must WIPE: wash hands, introduce yourself, identify the patient, explain the procedure and get consent.

BMI = kg / (m x m) = 72 / (1.64 x 1.64)

BMIs between 25 and 29.9 are classified as overweight.