DO YOU KNOW? HOW BLOOD PRESSURE IS MEASURED.?
Before understand how blood pressure is measured, We have to know about the following three terms.
- Heart Beats
- Systolic Pressure
- Diastolic Pressure
HEART BEAT:
The heart pumps blood into our arteries by contracting and when heart relaxes it get filled with blood. “One contraction and relaxation of the heart is called heart beat”. It is about 72 beats per minute for a normal person.
SYSTOLIC PRESSURE:
The maximum pressure at which the blood leaves the heart. Through the main artery during contraction phase is called systolic pressure. The normal systolic pressure is 120mmHg.
DIASTOLIC PRESSURE: The minimum blood pressure in the arteries during the relaxation phase of heart is called diastolic pressure. The normal diastolic pressure is 80mmHg.
HOW BLOOD PRESSURE IS MEASURED?
The blood pressure can be measured by using a device known as Blood Pressure Machine. It consist of three components.
- Stethoscope
- Sphygmomanometer
- Pumping device
- Rubber Cuff
The doctor ties the rubber cuff about the branchial artery and put the stethoscope in his ears to hear the heart beat. Now he will increase the reading of mercury to 220mmHg by pumping device and leave it until the tapping voice is heard. As soon as the tapping voice is heard, he measured the reading and mercury level will continuously slow down and tapping voice is slowly disappear and the moment at which tapping voice disappear, reading is measured.
These two readings will tell that the person has hypertension, hypotension or a normal B.P.
QUESTIONS FOR SELF EVALUATION
- What do you mean by systolic Pressure?
- What do you mean by Diastolic pressure?
- What are the normal Systolic and Diastolic pressure for a person?
- What is the scientific name of the blood pressure machine.
- Name the blood pressure at which tapping voice become start listening.
- Name the pressure at which the tapping voice stop listening.