Non-Invasive Blood Pressure

blood pressure blood pressure monitoring mean arterial pressure non-invasive blood pressure patient safety Aug 19, 2024

The non-invasive intermittent blood pressure monitor consists of an inflatable cuff, tubing, and a pressure monitor. The tubing connects to the machine and monitors pressure by inflating well above systolic pressure and incrementally decreasing until it senses the onset and peak of arterial oscillations. The cuff inflates every 2-5 minutes as guided by the machine settings, so it is a frequent but intermittent method of monitoring blood pressure. ⏱️

What does it tell you? 📈

There are three numbers: Systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressure (also known as MAP). The most accurate number is the MEAN, so get used to looking at that value as well as the systolic.

What is the normal range? ⚖️
In adult patients, you will see a wide range of values for blood pressure, so it’s important to know what the patient's baseline blood pressure is. Systolic blood pressure should range between 90 and 160mmHg, and MAP between 70-100mmHg.

What are the sources of error? 🙅🏻‍♀️
⚙️ Equipment: If the cuff is the wrong size, applied incorrectly, or has a leak, then it may read too high, too low, or not at all. So it is important to have the right size cuff for the patient!

🤒 Patient: If the arm is moving, the blood pressure is very low, or the heart rhythm is irregular, the reading may be inaccurate. If your patient is in the beach chair position, the reading at the arm or leg may be vastly different from the blood pressure at the brain. Always be vigilant about brain perfusion during non-supine positioning.

☝🏻 Remember: This monitor takes intermittent readings, so what you see on the screen may not be real at the time you are looking at it. If in doubt, always check the patient’s pulse!

Build knowledge
Improve safety

Ref: Madden, JD. Monitoring Essentials Summary Document: The Anaesthetic Assistant Starter Course. Periop Concepts - 2022. Available from periopconcepts.com.

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