What Every Tech Should Know About Blood Pressure?

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What Every Tech Should Know About Blood Pressure?

• Lynn Lawrence, CPOT, ABOC

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What is Blood Pressure?

• It can be a vascular disease
• The pressure that blood inside the vessels are
  exerting on the walls of the vessels
• Can be constant or intermittent

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Blood Pressures

• Systolic Pressure exerted on your vessels when
  the heart contracts and is pumping blood
• Diastolic - Pressure exerted on your vessels
  when the heart is at rest
• These can change throughout the day and
  activities have an impact too

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Anatomy of the Heart
Right Atria
Left Atria
Right Ventricle
Left Ventricle
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Circulatory Anatomy
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Healthy Life Styles Changes

• Reducing body weight
• Restricting dietary salt
• Decreasing fat
• Not smoking
• Avoiding excess alcohol
• Exercising regularly
• Developing relaxing techniques
• Taking medication as prescribe

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What is Hypertension?

• It is the same as high blood pressure
• When your blood pressure is high, your heart must
  work harder to pump the same amount of blood
  through your arteries
• This can damage your heart, kidneys, vessels and
  eyes
• Major cause of cerebrovascular accident (stroke),
  cardiac disease, and renal failure

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2 Types

• Primary is the most common type and its cause
  are unknown.
• Secondary may be the result of renal vascular
  disease, renal parenchymal disease, Cushings
  syndrome, DM, dysfunction of the thyroid or
  adrenal gland, pregnancy, and some neurologic
  disorders

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Symptoms of Hypertension

• Head aches
• Blurred vision
• Chest pain
• Frequent night urination
• Nose bleeds
• Dizziness/fatigue
• Strokesudden death of tissue
• Heart attack
• Hypertensive retinopathy, hemorrhage, exudates,
  papilledema, subconjunctival hemorrhages

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Question

• Why is high blood pressure dangerous to a
  diabetic patient?

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Question

• Why is high blood pressure dangerous to a
  diabetic patient?
• a. Diabetes is a vascular disease and high
  pressure through weaken vessels is a bad
  combination

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Question

• The kidneys play what role in blood pressure?

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Question

• The kidneys play what role in blood pressure
• A. Aids in maintaining pressure and volume by
  vasoconstriction, regulation of sodium, and fluid
  levels

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Question

• Why is it important to ask about BP during a
  screening?
• How about the family Hx?

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Question

• Should I take blood pressure before or after I
  dilate my patient. Why?

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Taking a blood pressure

• Tools of the trade

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Taking a Blood Pressure

• Have the patient relax 20 minutes
• Arm should be at heart level
• Place the Blood Pressure Cuff on the arm
• Above the elbow over the Brachial Artery

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Taking a Blood Pressure

• Select the correct cuff size
• Have the patient relax their arm.
• Find the Radial pulse.

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Taking a Blood Pressure

• Inflate the blood pressure cuff until you can no
  longer feel a pulse.
• Then inflate 30mmHg more.
• At least 200mmHg

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Taking a Blood Pressure

• Place your stethoscope over the brachial artery.
• Begin deflating the cuff slowly until you hear
  the pulse return.
• This is your Systolic Pressure.

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Taking a Blood Pressure

• Listen until you no longer hear a pulse.
• This is the Diastolic Pressure.

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Abnormal Blood Pressures

• Systolic greater than 140
• Diastolic greater than 90
• Difference less than 30 between the Systolic and
  Diastolic Pressures.
• 140/90
• 210/120 severe hypertension
• These are general guidelines and may differ from
  the guidelines that the provider you are employed
  by uses.

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Documenting a Blood Pressure

• Blood Pressures are Documented as
• Systolic / Diastolic
• 120
• 80

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Taking a Pulse

• Using your index and middle fingers, apply gentle
  pressure at the Radial Artery.
• Count the beats for 30 seconds and multiply by 2.

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New Glaucoma Findings
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Hemorrhages Contrast
Striated hemorrhages in the fundus
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Contrast
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Questions???