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Important Things About Your Sphygmomanometer |
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Sphygmomanometer is an instrument with which you can measure your blood
pressure. It provides you an indirect method to keep a proper tab on the
flow and pressure of your blood. It is the most commonly used equipment
to meter blood pressure. A sphygmomanometer functions by inflating a
cuff made of rubber. This inflated cuff is then placed around the arm of
the patient till the blood flow stops in that area.
In simple
terms blood pressure is described as the systemic arterial blood
pressure. This pressure is exerted by the blood at right angles to the
blood vessels. If you ever had a chat with your doctor, he would have
told you that apart from flowing in a stream, your blood flows in the
form of regular spurts. The continuous pressure of your blood is
dependent on the elasticity of your arteries. Such a pressure is known
as diastolic pressure. With each heartbeat there occurs an increased
pressure, which is termed as systolic pressure.
Now after understanding the systolic and diastolic pressures, it will be easy for
you to comprehend the functioning of a sphygmomanometer. The instrument
consists of a rubber bag known as cuff. In it's interior is attached a
mercury pressure gauge. The mercury gauge and the cuff are connected via
rubber tube. A rubber pump is also attached to both these parts, which
is used to inflate the cuff. The functioning of this equipment follows a
very simple principle.
As the pressure of the cuff becomes equal
to the pressure in the artery, the pulse disappears. This can be felt by
keeping a stethoscope on the brachial artery. The pressure measurements
can be easily seen on the mercury gauge. This is what you call a
systolic pressure. Now as you loosen the air pump, the cuff starts to
deflate and eventually the mercury in the glass gauge begins to fall.
With this the stethoscopic sound gets muffled and then disappears. This
is what is termed as diastolic pressure.
The measurement of blood
pressure with the help of sphygmomanometer is termed as the Korotkoff's
method.
As with any other equipment there are certain things that
you should keep in mind while measuring your blood pressure using a
sphygmomanometer.
They are :
1) The most important part of a
sphygmomanometer is the cuff. Make sure that the cuff is free of any
leaks.
2) Besides this the cuff should be of a tangible size,
according to the arm. Ideally it should be covering a third portion of
your upper arm.
3) The mercury used in the glass tunnel should be free
from impurities.
4) Before measuring the blood pressure make sure the
mercury is stationed at a zero mark.
5) While you are inflating the
cuff, see to it that the mercury rises smoothly in the tunnel and
immediately stops as you stop pumping air in the cuff.
Follow these simple guidelines and you will get accurate measurement of your
blood pressure.
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