In other words in the sitting and standing positions the arm should be extended out straight and should be about 2 3 inches below the shoulder to approximate the level of the heart. With that in mind any time a value is recorded body position should also be recorded.
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Blood pressure measurement body position. How you prepare for the test the position of your arm and other factors can change a blood pressure reading by 10 or more. So the blood pressure value that exists in most guidelines for example jnc 8 is measured in the sitting position. World health organization who guidelines recommend that the blood pressure bp should be routinely measured in sitting or supine followed by standing position providing that the arm of the patient is placed at the level of the right atrium in each position. When the blood pressure bp is measured the arm should be at the level of the heart. Hence the value we are intenting to measure is the one with the patient is sitting position back supported legs uncrossed and upper arm bared. If youre curious in which position sitting lying down or standing blood pressure is normally the highest its likely standing.
To determine whether you have hypertension a medical professional will take a blood pressure reading. That could be enough to hide high blood pressure start you on a drug you dont really need or lead your doctor to incorrectly adjust your medications. Although blood pressure bp differences from supine to sitting position have long been recognized limited data are available on other commonly used body positions. Blood pressure is commonly measured in the seated or supine position. The aim of our study was to test the influence of body and arm position on bp measurement in diabetic patients. But even if your numbers are high your doctor may encourage you to come in and retake your blood pressure in a few weeks or measure it every day at home to verify that its true hypertension and not the result of some other issue affecting you.
If the arm is allowed to hang down straight the bp may be falsely diminished by as much as 12 mm hg. Below its true value. However the two positions give different measurement values. Systolic pressure is approximately 88 mmhg in the lying down position versus the sitting position but only when the person taking the measurement positions the patients arm so that it is at the. Tips to measure your blood pressure correctly. We performed a cross sectional study to compare bp values obtained in supine sitting and fowlers positions in essential hypertensive subjects.
Gallery of Blood Pressure Measurement Body Position
