Cómo hacer Mide y registra la presión arterial
Measuring and recording blood pressure is one of the measurement skills on the NNAAP test — and to get full credit you must both take an accurate reading AND write down the numbers. The keys are cuff placement, listening over the right artery, and letting the cuff down slowly enough to catch the exact systolic and diastolic points.
Paso a paso
- 1
Wash your hands, introduce yourself, identify the resident, and explain what you are going to do.
- 2
Clean the stethoscope earpieces and the diaphragm before use.
- 3
Have the resident sit or lie with the arm supported at heart level, palm up, and expose the upper arm (no tight sleeve).
- 4
Choose the correct cuff size and wrap it snugly, with its lower edge about 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the bend of the elbow and the bladder centered over the brachial artery.Crítico
- 5
Find the brachial artery at the inner elbow and place the stethoscope directly over it — not underneath the cuff.Crítico
- 6
Close the valve and inflate the cuff to about 30 mmHg above the point where the pulse can no longer be heard.
- 7
Open the valve and let the cuff deflate slowly and evenly, about 2–3 mmHg per second.Crítico
- 8
Note the first clear beat you hear — that is the systolic pressure.
- 9
Keep deflating and note the point where the beats disappear — that is the diastolic pressure.
- 10
Fully deflate the cuff and remove it from the arm.
- 11
Tell the resident the reading and record the systolic and diastolic numbers.Crítico
- 12
Clean the stethoscope, leave the resident safe with the call light in reach, and wash your hands.
Pasos críticos (no los omitas)
- Your reading must be accurate — commonly within ±8 mmHg of the evaluator's reading — and you must write both numbers to get credit.
- Cuff lower edge about 1 inch above the elbow crease, bladder centered over the brachial artery.
- Stethoscope directly over the brachial artery, never trapped under the cuff.
- Deflate slowly (2–3 mmHg per second) — deflating too fast makes the reading wrong.
Errores comunes
- Letting the cuff down too fast, so you miss the exact systolic or diastolic point.
- Placing the stethoscope under the cuff or off to the side of the artery.
- Not supporting the arm at heart level, which shifts the reading up or down.
- Taking a good reading but forgetting to record the numbers.
Por qué importa
Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing on the artery walls. The cuff squeezes the brachial artery closed; as you release it, the first sound is blood breaking back through (systolic) and the last sound is the artery fully open again (diastolic). Listening right over the artery and letting the pressure fall slowly and evenly is the only way to catch those two moments accurately.