Blood Pressure
What is Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is the measurement of the force of the blood against the walls of the arteries and their resistance. If this force is stronger than it should be, it is called hypertension or high blood pressure. Hypertension is known as the "silent killer" because it usually produces NO symptoms. It may lead to stroke, heart attack and kidney disease if not detected.
How do you take Blood Pressure?
Your technician will place a blood pressure cuff around your upper arm so it fits snug. The head of a stethoscope is then placed just under the edge of the cuff. The cuff will be inflated then slowly deflated.
While the cuff is deflating, the technician will be listening for the "first" swooshing sound representing systolic blood pressure. As the sound becomes more intense, another pressure reading is noted on the last swoosh, which is the diastolic blood pressure. This test is completely painless and takes about 5 minutes.