Blood pressure is a measurement of the amount of pressure in the arteries. Blood pressure has two components: the systolic pressure, which is the arterial pressure when the heart is actively beating, and diastolic pressure, which is the pressure when the heart is at rest.
Aneroid monitors consist of a combination blood pressure cuff and stethoscope, Family Doctor explains. They are typically cheaper than digital monitors, are easier to transport, and allow a person to manually measure blood pressure.
Step 1
Place the ear pieces of the stethoscope in your ears. For the ear pieces to fit properly, they should be pointing forward, Family Doctor explains.
Step 2
Wrap the deflated blood pressure cuff around your left arm. The bottom edge of the cuff should be one inch above the inside of your elbow, an area which is also known as the antecubital space, Medwork Instruments explains.
Step 3
Place the disk of the stethoscope flat on the crease of the inside of your elbow.
Step 4
Inflate the blood pressure cuff. In order to do this, you will need to close the valve, which is located just above the hand pump. Turn the valve clockwise until it will not easily turn.
Squeeze the bulb until the pressure in the cuff, indicated on the dial on the cuff, is above the patient's systolic pressure, Blood Pressure Updates explains. Because a normal systolic pressure is 120 mm of mercury, you can inflate the cuff up to approximately 160 mm of mercury.
Step 5
Open the cuff's air valve by turning it slightly counterclockwise. Open it enough so that the pressure in the cuff goes down slowly yet steadily.
Step 6
Listen carefully for the when the heartbeat first becomes audible in the stethoscope. The pressure in the cuff at which the heartbeat can first be heard is the systolic pressure.
Step 7
Listen for the disappearance of the heartbeat in the stethoscope. The pressure in the cuff at that point is the diastolic pressure.
Things You'll Need
- Aneroid blood pressure monitor
