Measuring a patient's blood pressure is one of the most basic and informative measurements that can be taken to assess the patient's health. High blood pressure means the patient is at a higher risk of developing heart disease, whereas low blood pressure may indicate shock. Blood pressure can most accurately be measured using a stethoscope and a blood pressure monitor (also known as a sphygmomanometer).
Step 1
Place the blood pressure cuff around the upper arm so that the bottom edge of the cuff is just above the elbow. Adjust the cuff so that it is snug but not so tight that it cuts off circulation.
Step 2
Position the stethoscope. Once you have placed the ear-buds into your ears, place the bell of the stethoscope under the blood pressure cuff on the upper arm, just above the inside portion of the elbow.
Step 3
Close the valve on the ball of the blood pressure monitor by turning it clockwise.
Step 4
Squeeze the bulb to inflate the blood pressure cuff until the dial on the blood pressure monitor (attached to the cuff) reads 200 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).
Step 5
Open the air valve slowly so that the cuff gradually loses pressure. While you are doing this, listen for the appearance and disappearance of the pulse sounds. Note at which pressure (read off of the blood pressure monitor's dial) that the sounds appeared and then disappeared.
Step 6
Determine the blood pressure. The patient's systolic pressure is the pressure at which you could first hear the pulse, and the diastolic pressure is the pressure when the pulse sounds went away.
