410 Where There Is No Doctor 2011
HOW TO MEASURE BLOOD PRESSURE
Blood pressure measurement can be an important skill for health workers and
midwives. It is an especially useful tool in examining:
• Pregnant women (see p. 249, 251, and 253).
• Mothers before and during childbirth (see p. 265).
• A person who may be losing a lot of blood from any part of the body, inside or
out (see p. 77).
• A person who might be in shock (see p. 77), including allergic shock (see
p. 70).
• People over 40.
• People who are too heavy (see p. 126).
• Anyone with signs of heart trouble (p. 325), stroke (p. 327), difficulty breathing,
frequent headaches, swelling, diabetes (p. 127), chronic urinary problems
(p. 234), or swollen or painful veins (p. 175).
• Persons known to have high blood pressure (see p. 125).
• Women taking (or planning to take) birth control pills (see p. 288).
There are 2 kinds of instruments for measuring blood pressure:
A blood pressure
cuff with a gauge,
and the older mercury
sphygmomanometer,
which shows the level of
mercury.
To measure blood pressure:
• Make sure the person is relaxed. Recent exercise, anger, or nervousness can
make pressure rise and give a falsely high reading. Explain what you are going
to do, so the person is not surprised or frightened.
• Fasten the pressure cuff around the person’s bare upper arm.
• Close the valve on the rubber bulb by turning the screw clockwise.
• Pump the pressure up to more than 200 millimeters of mercury.
• Place the stethoscope over the inside of the elbow.
• Listen carefully for the pulse as you slowly let air out of the cuff. As the needle
of the gauge (or the level of mercury) slowly drops, take two readings: