Blood Pressure Cuff
By Bobby Gill

Blood Pressure Cuff

Blood pressure cuffs are no longer just being used at the doctor's office or by EMS professionals. The (BP) cuff should be in proper size with the radius of the upper part of your arm. BP cuff size for the adults can vary. BP cuffs are usually available in four different sizes and in a wide range of designs that help health care providers customize their use for specific applications. One BP cuff chrome-plated aneroid ( aneroid - a barometer that measures pressure without using fluids) no-pin stop gauge comes with lifetime calibration warranty. BP cuff is one of the components of the Sphygmomanometer (also known as the Blood Pressure Meter) used to determine the BP. An inflatable cuff is wrapped around your upper arm placed around the upper arm at roughly the same vertical height as the heart.

Some cuffs inflate and deflate with the push of a button others have the hand pump. . We have to be careful to avoid a false diagnosisis based on improper use of BP equipment, namely using the wrong sized BP cuffs. It is important that the correct sized BP cuff be used for large people so that a diagnosis of problems can be made on the basis of accurrate data. Unfortunately, using the wrong size BP cuff is common. A standard-sized BP cuff should not be used on persons with an upper-arm circumference of more than 34 cm or 13 inches. The most common errors in BP cuffing are: Providers using a 'regular' cuff when a 'large' cuff is needed. You cannot always count on the doctor's office or even the hospital to have the correct size BP cuff, for it to be in working order, or for medical personnel to be willing to use it. You might want to consider purchasing your own BP cuff and taking it with you to each appointment and to the hospital. Supersized people may particularly want to invest in their own BP cuffs. There are internet companies that sells BP cuffs in varying sizes including extremely large sizes. Although buying your own BP cuff is not cheap, some are reasonably priced. If there is no large BP cuff available, or if the circumference of a person's arm exceeds the guidelines of the largest BP cuff available, it is possible to take a reading on a person's forearm.

The person taking the BP should:

Support the arm of the patient at about the level of the heart (an unsupported arm or one that is too low or too high changes BP readings)

Not talk to the patient or let the patient talk (many nurses talk to the patient to relax them but this has been shown to raise BP)

Check the BP device to be sure it is properly calibrated (it should read exactly zero before beginning and should be calibrated frequently, a procedure which is often neglected in offices)

Not pump the BP cuff up too high at the beginning of the measurement (pumping the cuff too high also raises BP)

Not take the BP over your clothes (the BP cuff should not be placed over your sleeves).

Finally, the nurse should not pump the BP cuff up too high at the beginning of the BP measurement

In real life, BP cuffs are often used inappropriately,and especially in women of size. Thus, it is even more critical that big moms become vigilant and uncompromising about BP cuff size. Be smart and insist on the correct BP  cuff size and proper technique so that you can get proper care based on accurate readings.

At the time of the initial introduction of the BP cuff physicians were faced with several different, competing methods for assessing the force of a patient's blood flow. One early proposal to introduce the new BP cuff as a simple tool for nursing use met with resistance. Even after adopting the cuff into general practice the physicians had little interest in a general standardization of the the use of the cuff across the practices of individual physicians. Over time, the BP cuff has become one

of the most basic and commonly used tools in medicine. Wide acceptance was gained when the cuff was operated in a manner that supported the physician's exclusive control over the tool and maintained a high level of individual skill for a practice. The BP cuff did not replace the expert practice of pulse palpation initially, and it did not become a routine nursing tool for many decades. Physicians continued to treat the BP cuff as a tool for skilled physical examination.

Blood Pressure

BP is greatest when the heart ventricle contracts (high) (systole) and lowest when the ventricle relaxes (low) (diastole). BP is solely maintained by the elasticity of the arteries. Many factors can affect your BP, including physical exertion, emotional fluctuations, medications, and stress. So having your BP monitored at a pharmacy with an in-store device after you've been shopping or walking around might not provide you with the most accurate measurement. Monitoring your BP at home allows you achieve a relaxed state more easily, and it gives you the flexibility to take your measurements at various times during the day. By keeping track of your home BP readings, you can provide your healthcare professional with a log of your measurements over time. This is especially convenient for hypertensive users and for people with certain arrhythmia or heart disorders, because their BP is more likely to fluctuate. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends you take BP readings in the early morning and evening. With the touch of a button of your home BP monitor, you can review an eight week history of your morning and evening weekly averages.

It is common knowledge that obese people have a higher rate of high BP ("hypertension") than the general population. What is often omitted is that some fat people are incorrectly diagnosed with high BP when in fact their BP is actually normal. Improper use of BP equipment is one of the most common problems a heavy woman faces in her medical care especially during pregnancy. If a heavy woman truly has high BP, then her condition needs to be treated.- especially if she is pregnant. On the flip side, if she is wrongly diagnosed with high BP in pregnancy, prescribed with medications and interventions, she and the baby could be injured. While in pregnancy most OB doctors get very nervous about borderline blood pressures, and will start aggressive diagnosis immediately. Accurate measurement of BP requires special consideration of the cuff size.

Conclusion

If your BP is well controlled, you may need to check it at home only a few days each month. If you're just starting  home monitoring or changing your medications or other treatments, or have another health problem, such as diabetes, you may need  to monitor your on a regular schedule preferably morning and night. The home monitoring equipment selection criteria is targeted toward the selection of the correct sized blood pressure cuff and accuracy . Once you buy your monitor, take it to your doctor's office to be checked for accuracy. You should check the accuracy of your monitor once a year. You should take proper care of the monitor and cuff and store properly away from heat. You should also heck the tubing for cracks and leaks. Ask your doctor or nurse to teach you how to use your BP monitor correctly. Proper use of it will help you and your doctor achieve good results in controlling your blood pressure.

Home BP monitoring is not a substitute for visits to your doctor but if your monitoring indicates normal levels then you will be able to make fewer appointments. If normal readings you still should not stop or change your medications or diet without talking to your doctor first. Over the long run, continuous home monitoring with the correct sized cuff will enable you to enjoy fewer complications related to high and hopefully a longer life.