Blood pressure is usually measured while you are seated with your arm resting on a table. Your arm should be slightly bent so that it is at the same level as your heart. The upper arm should be bare, such as with your sleeve rolled up, but not tight or uncomfortable.
Blood pressure readings are usually given as two numbers: for example, 110 over 70 (written as 110/70). The first number is the systolic blood pressure reading, and it represents the maximum pressure exerted when the heart contracts. The second number is the diastolic blood pressure reading, and it represents the pressure in the arteries when the heart is at rest.
To obtain your blood pressure measurement, your health care provider will wrap the blood pressure cuff snugly around your upper arm, positioning it so that the lower edge of the cuff is 1 inch above the bend of the elbow.
He or she will locate the large artery on the inside of the elbow by feeling for the pulse and will place the head of the stethoscope over this artery, below the cuff. It should not rub the cuff or any clothing because these noises may block out the pulse sounds. Correct positioning of the stethoscope is important to get an accurate recording.
Your health care provider will close the valve on the rubber inflating bulb and then will squeeze it rapidly to inflate the cuff until the dial or column of mercury reads 30 mmHg (millimeters of mercury) higher than the usual systolic pressure. If the usual systolic pressure is unknown, the cuff is inflated to 210 mmHg.
Now the valve is opened slightly, allowing the pressure to fall gradually (2 to 3 mmHg per second). As the pressure falls, the level on the dial or mercury tube at which the pulsing is first heard is recorded. This is the systolic pressure.
As the air continues to be let out, the sounds will disappear. The point at which the sound disappears is recorded. This is the diastolic pressure (the lowest amount of pressure in the arteries as the heart rests).
The procedure may be performed 2 or more times.
