Question

Nurse is taking a peripheral artery BP and can no longer palpate the poplitial pulse after 92 mmHg which should the nurse inflate the cuff to?

Answer 1

The nurse should inflate the cuff to 20-30 mmHg above the last palpated pulse, which would be approximately 112 to 122 mmHg.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a nurse is taking a peripheral artery BP and can no longer palpate the popliteal pulse at 92 mmHg, the nurse should inflate the cuff to a pressure that is 20 to 30 mmHg above the last palpated pulse. This suggests inflating the cuff to approximately 112 to 122 mmHg before slowly deflating it and listening for the Korotkoff sounds to determine the systolic and diastolic pressures. It is important to ensure that the pressure is high enough to occlude the artery completely before releasing the pressure to obtain an accurate measurement.