Question

A nurse is assessing an adult client's blood pressure. How should the nurse estimate the client's systolic blood pressure (SBP)? a. Inflate the blood pressure cuff while palpating the client's brachial artery. b. Simultaneously compare the amplitude of the client's left and right radial pulses. c. Palpate the client's brachial pulse while having the client slowly raise his or her arm. d. Note the SBP that was documented during the client's last vital signs assessment.

Answer 1

Option A, inflate the blood pressure cuff while palpating the client's brachial artery

Step-by-step explanation:

When taking a manual blood pressure (BP) reading using a sphygmomanometer, the nurse must first determine the patient's systolic blood pressure (SBP) in order to then determine how much to inflate the cuff.

To do so, the nurse places the BP cuff on the patient's arm, and then palpates the brachial artery of the same arm. While holding two fingers to the brachial artery, the nurse inflates the cuff until the pulse of the branchial artery can no longer be felt. The nurse notes the measurement on the sphygmomanometer as an SBP measurement.

To complete the manual BP reading, the nurse adds 20-30 mmHg to this estimate and inflates the cuff to this sum when it is time to obtain a reading of both the systolic and diastolic blood pressures, usually 1-2 minutes after SBP estimation.

This is not the only method of estimating the patient's SBP. Some healthcare staff prefer placing the BP cuff and palpating the radial pulse of the same arm, waiting for this pulse to no longer be felt. Others may place the BP cuff and auscultate (listen) the brachial artery, determining the SBP estimate by observing when the pulse sound is either very muffled or absent.

The method of inflating the cuff and palpating the patient's brachial artery, option A, is sufficient in obtaining a SBP estimate.