Why does a blood pressure monitor go tight on the arm while measuring?
In: 30
The point is to cut off the flow of blood through a specific artery, the brachial artery, and then slowly reduce the pressure to allow flow to resume. As that happens the flow is turbulent, and makes a detectable sound as it vibrates the arterial walls. That’s what you doctor is listening for with the stethoscope, or what a machine is listening for.
The first thing they listen for is systolic pressure, because it’s at higher pressure it can force its way through a more inflated cuff. When you hear that vibration you have your systolic pressure, and then you deflate some more until the sound of blood passing through the artery returns to normal. That’s your diastolic pressure.
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