Taking Blood Pressure Feet On Floor

Make sure the patient has both feet flat on the floor.
Taking blood pressure feet on floor. Sit with your feet flat on the floor and your back against a chair. Ask your doctor or nurse to show you the right way to position your arm so you get accurate readin. Taking blood pressure lying down is the obvious method used when a patient is hospitalized but in a doctor s office a patient is usually sitting in a chair. Poor support for your feet or back while seated can raise your blood pressure reading by 6 to 10 points.
Blood pressure should be taken with the feet on the floor correct. These may affect your bp reading. How you prepare for the test the position of your arm and other factors can change a blood pressure reading by 10 or more. Do not check your blood pressure within 30 minutes of smoking drinking coffee or exercising.
You should sit in a chair with your back supported and feet flat on the floor or a footstool. When you take your blood pressure at home sit up straight in a chair and put both feet on the floor. To determine whether you have hypertension a medical professional will take a blood pressure reading. I tell her how studies indicate according to an article i read in the medical section of the new york times that when taking blood pressure the patient s feet should be flat on the floor and the extended arm resting on a solid surface such as a table.
Until recently high blood pressure or hypertension was defined by any measurements with 140 or higher as the top number and 90 or greater as the bottom. Blood pressure fluctuates naturally throughout the day and tends to increase around the time a person wakes up. Extend your arm and support it on a flat surface. Let the patient settle in then take the reading.
This means avoiding taking blood pressure on an exam table from which a patient s legs will dangle. However for many people blood pressure may be abnormally high in the mornings. Dangling one s legs requires muscular activity which can increase blood pressure. Your arm should be at the same level as your heart.
Some nurses also measure blood. Last november the american heart association updated its high blood pressure guidelines and established a new threshold for diagnosing high blood pressure at 130 80. During the measurement sit in a chair with your feet on the floor and your arm supported so your elbow is at. If the reading is high wait five minutes and take it again.
Rest quietly for 5 minutes before you take your bp.