[Medical Q&A] Do you know the correct way to measure blood pressure?

Author: Chen Zhou Shanghai Changhai Hospital

Reviewer: Mei Xiaobin, Chief Physician, Shanghai Changhai Hospital

Hypertensive patients must measure their blood pressure regularly and keep records, so as to timely detect and control abnormal blood pressure and prevent and treat related diseases.

The correct and scientific measurement method is the prerequisite for ensuring that blood pressure is accurate and objective. Pay attention to the following points when measuring blood pressure.

Quiet: Sit quietly for 5 to 10 minutes before measuring blood pressure. It is recommended to rest for 30 minutes after exercise before measuring. This is because exercise, mood, diet and other factors can affect our blood pressure level.

Sitting position: It is recommended to measure in a sitting position with your feet flat on the ground and try to breathe calmly. Do not talk, cough, yawn, etc. to avoid interfering with the measurement results.

Cuff: The measuring cuff should be directly attached to the skin of the upper arm, preferably without clothes. The width of the cuff should account for 40% of the upper arm circumference, and the length should account for 80% of the upper arm circumference. The lower edge of the cuff should be 2 to 3 cm away from the elbow joint, and the air bag of the cuff should be aimed at the artery on the inner side of the upper arm.

Horizontal: The cuff is at the same level as the heart, the upper arm is straight and slightly abducted, and the palm is facing up. If the cuff is higher than the heart, it will cause low blood pressure; if the cuff is lower than the heart, it will cause high blood pressure.

Measurement: Some electronic blood pressure monitors only require you to press a button to start measuring. After the cuff is inflated, you will feel your arm being tightly gripped, and then the cuff will slowly loosen. This tightening and loosening will measure the upper pressure (systolic pressure) and lower pressure (diastolic pressure) of the blood pressure. If it is a mercury blood pressure monitor, you will need to use a stethoscope to listen to the arterial pulsation sound and observe the changes in the mercury column to determine the systolic and diastolic pressures.

Record: After measuring blood pressure, it is best to record it according to time, systolic pressure, and diastolic pressure. This will make it easier for us to observe the changing trends and patterns of blood pressure.

Special note: If it is the first time to measure your blood pressure, you need to measure both sides, and take the side with the higher value as the standard, because some people may have high or low blood pressure on one side. In the future, you can measure on the same side.