Introduction Manual blood pressure techniques are compounded with many factors that may affect the measurement (Myers, 2010). Patient anxiety and poor blood pressure measurement technique by the health professional can result in a misdiagnosis and improper drug treatment (Myers, 2010). The mercury sphygmomanometer has been “gold-standard” for measuring blood pressure since it’s invention in 1881 (Ostchega et al, 2011). However, mercury is now considered to be an environmental risk and many hospitals and clinical practices worldwide have banned the use of mercury (Myers, 2010). There are now many mercury free alternatives to the sphygmomanometer such as the aneroid sphygmomanometer, digital monitors like the x or ambulatory blood pressure monitors which can take an individual’s blood pressure over a 24-hour period. However, there are many important factors affecting blood pressure measurements such as; the natural variability of blood pressure, the white coat affect, the limitations and accuracy of the device being used, the difficulty of measuring blood pressure in some groups such as the elderly White coat phenomena It is well known that anxiety can increase blood pressure and when patients are scared or anxious (Beevers et al, 2007). This is often referred to as the white coat effect and can sometimes raise blood pressure by as much as 30mmHg causing a misdiagnosis of hypertension (Beevers et al, 2007). However, upon familiarity with the medical professional taking the blood pressure measurement, the hypertension decreases. White coat hypertension also occurs during a medical setting but tends to persist during repeated visits (Beevers et al, 2007). Home blood pressure and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring are... ... middle of paper ... .... Write a short justification for your choice, based on your literature review. There is not necessarily one ideal method, so your arguments for or against certain equipment will have a greater influence on your marks, than your actual choice of method. (1000 words max). Study overview: A randomised, placebo-controlled trial to investigate the impact of a nutritional intervention on blood pressure in adults with mild hypertension. The intervention will run for 12 weeks, and blood pressure will be measured at baseline and at the end of the 12 week period. Participants (n=30) will be otherwise healthy adults living near the Nutrition Research laboratory at Massey University. Choice of method: Mercury sphygmomanometer Part Three (25%) Produce a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for your chosen method of measuring blood pressure for use in the study
The research problem is clearly stated in the introduction and various times during the literature review. While it is known that automatic sphygmomanometers are not as accurate when compared to the gold standard of manual sphygmomanometer during single blood pressure readings they are still being used a triage instruments in emergency departments (Dind, Short, Ekholm, & Holdgate, 2011, p. 526). Triage is an essential step in the emergency department and instruments used in triage need to be accurate. Little is known about the accuracy of automatic devices when assessing postural blood pressures. It is shown in this study that orthostatic hypotension is a direct link to what triage category the patient is assigned, which can affect variables such as wait time and care received, so accurate measurement of this is an important factor in the emergency setting (Dind et al., 2011, p. 531).
The individual will have their blood pressure levels taken using a blood pressure machine called a sphygmomanometer, where a cuff is placed around the individual’s arm and fills up with air to create pressure around the arm to restrict the amount of blood flow and takes a pulse reading as it releases the pressure. After the individual’s blood pressure has been taken they may be asked to take it at home using a blood pressure kit to see if it is still high and that the first reading was not due to anxiety.
Vicki is a 42-year-old African American woman who was diagnosed with Hypertension a month ago. She has been married to her high school sweetheart for the past 20 years. She is self-employed and runs a successful insurance agency. Her work requires frequent travel and Vicki often has to eat at fast food restaurants for most of her meals. A poor diet that is high in salt and fat and low in nutrients for the body and stress from her job are contributing factors of Vicki’s diagnosis of hypertension. This paper will discuss the diagnostic testing, Complementary and Alternative Medicine treatments, the prognosis for hypertension, appropriate treatment for Vicki, patient education, and potential barriers to therapy that Vicki may experience.
Mrs. Andrews hypertension is mild at 146/96 which leads to the recommendation of lifestyle modification opposed to pharmacological treatment. In a study led by the American Heart Association, “lifestyle interventions received class I recommendations (Mosca et al., 2004, p. 675)” to prevent major cardiovascular issues in women. There are several useful tools and programs available to assist patients making lifestyle changes. A couple of examples of programs are the WISEWOMAN and Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC). WISEWOMAN is a “program funded by the CDC that provides low income uninsured women (40-64) with chronic disease risk factor screening, lifestyle modification interventions, and referral services to prevent CAD (Schroetter & Peck, 2008, p. 109).” TLC is “an effective lifestyle therapy recommended by the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, and the Obesity Society ("Can TLC ...
As early as the 1800s clinicians began to take a closer look at elevated blood pressure levels, they soon found high correlation between hypertension, stroke, and other heart diseases. They also established that high levels of blood pressure effected both privilege and underprivileged, and within the years they have noted the disease have become more prevalent in the African American culture. Long term studies, such as randomized controlled trial studies, unveiled
...is family has a history of lifestyle diseases like hypertension, hence, he should be careful on his diet and lifestyle. Though the family claims to walk frequently, engaging a regular exercise program is advisable (Stahl, 2010). Moreover, Linda admits to dislike fruits and vegetables which should be considered while teaching on healthy diet. A healthier diet plan will help to prevent a high blood pressure.
“Blood pressure is the measurement of blood going against blood vessels” (Causes). People can have naturally high or low blood pressure but the book normal is 120 over 80, but everyone has a different normal. When people become scared their blood pressure naturally goes up because of fight or flight response. When someone becomes scared or frightened the body starts to react. Those reactions are there to get your body ready to run or fight from danger (Fight-or-flight). There are three steps in the flight or fight and during those steps is when you blood pressure will increase. “When comparing women and men in flight or fight women blood pressure and heart rate increase more because the women are more likely to anticipate what will come next”(Women's).
The focus of this paper will be presenting a general overview of the etiology of, global impact of, and compliance with treatment of hypertension. It will also cover the nonpharmacological interventions aimed at managing hypertension. Finally it will explore caring for the psychosocial needs of the patient and how this can help to treat and possibly prevent hypertension.
Stressors initiate a response within the organism and causes changes in the body, specifically responses in the body’s autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system has two branches: the sympathetic and parasympathetic autonomic nervous system. The sympathetic autonomic nervous system helps the body deal with the stress it encounters, initiating the ‘fight or flight’ response. Once the threat has passed, the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system will take over, relaxing the body. There is a balance between these two in a healthy person. However, when someone stays on guard, using the sympathetic autonomic nervous system, all sorts of physical effects can
D. standing near her room, breathing sharply. While asked what has just happened, she answered, ‘I feel dizzy and can faint!’ Mrs. D. then explained that she rose up from her chair in the television room and felt lightheaded. I decided to bring her to the room hoping she would feel less dizziness if she could sit. After consultation with my mentor and third year unit nursing student, I decided to perform measurement of her vital signs. Since only electronic sphygmomanometer was available for me that time, I had to use it for my procedure. Gladly, I discovered that I have already used such equipment in my previous nursing practice. Using the standard sized calf, I found that her blood pressure was 135/85, respirations were 16, and her pulse was 96 beats per minute (bpm). However, I decided to recheck the pulse manually, founding that it was irregular (78 bpm). The patient stated that she felt better after rest. Immediately after the incident I made a decision to explore carefully the medical chart of Mrs. D., along with her nursing care plan. That helped me to discover multiple medical diagnoses influencing her
masked hypertension (blood pressure that is normal in a clinic or physician’s office, and becomes hypertensive while ambulating, or in the home environment.), and
According to Statistics SA hypertension is one of the leading non communicable diseases in South Africa1. It is a major risk factor for the development of various cardiovascular diseases and thus has been shown to contribute to heart failure and stroke. There is a high prevalence of undiagnosed and untreated hypertension in South Africa1. In order to improve therapeutic interventions it is essential to understand all the mechanisms that are associated with this disorder. Therefore recent studies have shown that 24hr blood pressure profiles could assist with improving our understanding of hypertension2.
Accurate blood pressure measurements are needed in clinical practice. The process for obtaining an accurate blood pressure is very sensitive and that accuracy can be affected by several different factors of which could be; behavior of the subject, the environment that the blood pressure is taken in, the inconsistencies in process or the devices that are used to obtain the measurement of a pediatric patient or the observer of the process.
With the advancement in medicine and increase in comorbidities, cardiovascular disease and diabetes are the in the top two according to (Pandya, Gaziano, Weinstein, & Cutler, 2013). In addition to just monitoring blood pressure and thus preventing a stroke or a heart attack, a patient is taught the necessity of daily blood pressure medication, healthy meal planning, dally activity and overall healthy choices. In this situation, the monitoring is used for secondary prevention in disease management. Daily log of blood pressure for at least one week after the discharge from the hospital should be recorded and presented to the primary care provider for an evaluation and further
Schnall, P., Landsbergis, P., Belkic, K., Warren, K., Schwartz, J., & Pickering, T. (1998). Findings In The Cornell University Ambulatory Blood Pressure Worksite Study: A Review. Psychosomatic Medicine, 60, 697.