Full transcript
0:00- [Josh] Hi, I'm Josh Farquharson and welcome
0:03to Blood Pressure: Audio-Visual Coordination Skills.
0:07There are several steps involved
0:09in taking a blood pressure measurement,
0:10and each step must be completed with accuracy.
0:14This is especially true when viewing the blood pressure dial
0:17and listening with the stethoscope.
0:20You must be able to effectively coordinate
0:22what you're hearing with what you're seeing.
0:26Just imagine if you recorded a patient's blood pressure
0:28as normal when in actuality,
0:31their pressure was extremely high,
0:32and they were at risk for having a stroke.
0:36Your inaccuracy can have dire consequences
0:38on the patient's overall health.
0:41This lesson will help you achieve accuracy
0:43when taking blood pressure measurements.
0:47By the end of this lesson,
0:48you will identify and interpret the graduation markings
0:52on an aneroid sphygmomanometer dial
0:55and determine the systolic and diastolic blood pressure
0:58by reading the dial and listening to the Korotkoff sounds.
1:03If you ever had your blood pressure taken,
1:05you likely noticed that the results were stated
1:08as one number over the other number,
1:10such as 120 over 80.
1:13The number on top, in this case, 120,
1:16represents systolic pressure,
1:19and the bottom number, in this case, 80,
1:22represents the diastolic pressure.
1:25Let's take a close look at the dial
1:26used for determining such a measurement.
1:30This is the aneroid sphygmomanometer dial,
1:33also known as the blood pressure dial.
1:36The dial has the letters mmHg
1:39because blood pressure is measured
1:41in millimeters of mercury.
1:44Also, on the dial,
1:45you'll notice that there are lines in various sizes.
1:48The largest lines represent values of 20.
1:52This is 20.
1:53This is 40, 60, and so on.
1:58The medium lines represent values of 10.
2:02This is 30, 50, 70, and so on.
2:07And the smallest lines represent values of two.
2:11So this line represents 22, 24, 26, 28, and so on.
2:20Now let's use the needle
2:21to determine the number displayed on the dial.
2:24Concentrate on the tip of the needle
2:27and the line that it's pointing to.
2:30How much does this line represent?
2:33If you stated 68, you are correct.
2:37So how much does this line represent?
2:42If you stated 112, you are correct.
2:47And how much does this line represent?
2:52If you stated 294, you are absolutely correct.
2:55Great job.
2:57Now that you're comfortable
2:58with reading the blood pressure dial,
3:00let's apply audio-visual coordination skills.
3:04And for this, please increase your volume level
3:07and have a pen and paper on hand.
3:11There are two main areas that you need to focus
3:13on when determining a blood pressure reading.
3:16One, the position of the needle on the dial,
3:20and two, the Korotkoff sounds.
3:24We'll refer to the Korotkoff sounds
3:26as thumping sounds for the duration of this video.
3:30When you arrive at the point of the procedure
3:33when you slowly deflate the cuff to hear the sounds,
3:36you will notice the needle move
3:38in a counterclockwise direction.
3:41It is at this point that you need to listen very closely
3:44for the thumping sounds.
3:49Upon hearing the first thump,
3:51note the needle's position on the dial
3:53and record the number.
3:55That's the systolic pressure.
3:57As the cuff deflates and the needle continues to move,
4:01you will continue to hear the thumping sounds.
4:04Listen closely for the last thump.
4:08Upon hearing the last thump,
4:10note the needle's position on the dial.
4:13That's the diastolic pressure.
4:16Let's practice applying these two steps.
4:20Please note that your answer may be slightly different
4:22from what's displayed, but that's okay.
4:25As long as your answer
4:26is within four millimeters of mercury,
4:29your answers are still considered accurate.
4:32For example, if the displayed answer is 120 over 80,
4:36but your answer falls somewhere in the range
4:39of 118 over 78 through 122 over 82,
4:44your answer is still considered accurate.
4:47Of course, matching the displayed answer
4:49is the goal to achieve the most accurate answer.
4:53Listen closely and write down your answers.
4:56I will reveal the correct answer once the simulation ends.
5:01Here's the first one.
5:30Try another.
5:53Okay, and let's try one more.
6:23So did you answer all of them correctly?
6:26Great job.
6:27Give yourself a huge pat on the back for a job well done.
6:31And there you have it.
6:33You have learned to identify and interpret
6:35the graduation markings
6:37on an aneroid sphygmomanometer dial
6:40and determine the systolic and diastolic blood pressure
6:43by reading the dial
6:44and listening to the Korotkoff sounds.
6:47To stay up to date on other Allied Health learning tools,
6:51you can follow me on Twitter @ahtools1
6:54or subscribe to my Allied Health Tools YouTube channel.