Final answer:
A nurse may confirm a suspicion of false high blood pressure reading if a cuff that is too narrow is used, the patient's arm is positioned below the heart level, or the cuff is deflated too quickly. These actions can all contribute to an artificially elevated measurement.
Step-by-step explanation:
The nurse may suspect a false high blood pressure reading if certain procedural errors occur during the measurement. These can include using a cuff that is too narrow, positioning the patient's arm below the level of the heart, or deflating the cuff too rapidly. Each of these factors can contribute to an inaccurately high reading. Specifically, using a cuff that is too narrow for the patient's arm size can lead to a higher-than-accurate measurement because the pressure may not be evenly distributed around the arm. Additionally, positioning the patient's arm below the level of the heart can also cause an exaggerated reading due to the effect of gravity on the pressure within the blood vessels. Finally, deflating the cuff too rapidly can lead to missing the initial sounds of blood flow (Korotkoff sounds), which would result in a higher systolic reading.