Accuracy in blood pressure machines

The heart is the main organ that supplies blood to all the organs of the body. It pumps blood into the blood vessels with a single beat, which creates pressure on their walls. This is called blood pressure. Pressure readings vary from person to person. These different readings are measured with the help of blood pressure machines.

Pressure readings are primarily made up of two values. They are:

Systolic: occurs when the heart muscles contract during the heartbeat and this pumping releases oxygen-rich blood vessels.

Diastolic – Occurs when the blood exerts pressure on the walls when the heart muscles relax. Diastolic pressure is usually lower than systolic pressure.

Blood pressure is generally measured in units of millimeters of mercury (mmHg). Readings are given in pairs with the systolic value first and then followed by the lowest value.

High blood pressure can sometimes be the cause of serious illness. In earlier stages, it might go unnoticed, but for a longer period, it increases the chance of heart disease and causes heart attacks, strokes, and heart and kidney failure. For this reason, you should always monitor your blood pressure regularly to avoid long-term illness.

how is the arterial pressure measured?

Blood pressure should be measured more than once as it changes regularly. It also fluctuates due to factors such as stress, pain, or extreme weather. So if a reading is high once, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s always too high. Ideally, you should measure your pressure normally while lying down or sitting in a chair with the help of a good blood pressure monitor.

Sphygmomanometer measurement

A sphygmomanometer mainly consists of three parts. They are:

• An air-inflated cuff.

• A pressure gauge to measure the pressure of the cuff.

• A stethoscope to listen to the flow of blood through your vessels.

The meter has a rubber pump to inflate the cuff and there is a button to let air out of the cuff. The cuff is present on your upper arm to get a somewhat reliable reading. It is then inflated until the blood flow in the vessels stops and then the air is slowly let out.

In the past, this type of pressure reading was more famous. But now, most road labs use pressure monitors that give the readings digitally and are much more reliable.

Digital blood pressure monitors

Digital machines are generally used on the wrist, but can also be used on the upper arm or fingertips. These machines read the pressure automatically depending on the different volumes of blood in the blood vessels.