Tips for Taking Blood Pressure

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From Quick Guide: Blood Pressure Basics

Summary: Before a blood pressure reading is taken it's important for the patient to be relaxed. Learn more tips for taking blood pressure from a doctor in this free health video.

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By Dr. Robin Terranella
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Dr. Robin Terranella has learned the value of integrative medical services and wants to pass that effectiveness on to his patients. In his medical training at Bastyr University, Dr....read more

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Video Transcript

"So important tips for taking blood pressure, before you actually take the blood pressure. One, you should be seated and relaxed for about fifteen minutes before you actually take it. You should not have consumed alcohol or coffee for two hours before taking a blood pressure. You shouldn't have smoked fifteen minutes before taking a blood pressure. All those thing effect the arterial resistance, and therefore will have an artificial elevation or for most part will be elevated beyond what it should be. The other thing is cuff size, be sure the cuff before is fitted for a normal person. If you have small arms or large arms you'll have a falsely elevated or reduced blood pressure. So if the cuff is too large for your arm, you'll have a lower blood pressure than you should. And if it's too small, you'll have a higher blood pressure than you should. So the cuff should be about eighty percent of the circumference of your arm, around eighty percent it doesn't have to be exact. Other important tip is your posture, should be sited up straight that's not as important. The main this is your elbow should be relaxed, so when you take your blood pressure you want to have it relaxed on like a table or something. And you also want the elbow or the bracheal artery at around the same level as your heart. So for me it would be about this high. So next we want to talk about the steps that are involved in the blood pressure."

eHow Article: Tips for Taking Blood Pressure

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