Final answer:
The brachial artery is typically palpated when measuring blood pressure using a sphygmomanometer and stethoscope. The cuff is inflated to stop blood flow, then slowly deflated to detect systolic and diastolic pressures through sound.
Step-by-step explanation:
The artery usually palpated to take blood pressure is the brachial artery. This process involves using a sphygmomanometer—a device that includes a blood pressure cuff (attached to a measuring device) and a stethoscope. The cuff is placed on the patient's upper arm at heart level and inflated with a rubber pump, which compresses the brachial artery, temporarily stopping blood flow. As air is slowly let out of the cuff, the first detection of blood spurting through the artery as the cuff pressure drops below systolic blood pressure makes a tapping sound (Korotkoff sound), which can be heard with the stethoscope. The reading at which this sound is first heard represents the systolic pressure. As the pressure continues to decrease, a point is reached where blood flow is unobstructed and the sounds stop, indicating diastolic pressure. These two measurements provide the blood pressure reading, typically expressed as systolic over diastolic (e.g., 120/80 mmHg).