HHC Health & Home Care Clinical Policy And

HHC HEALTH & HOME CARE Section: 3-4
Blood Pressure: Auscultation __RN
10. Inflate cuff as rapidly as possible until pulse is gone, AFTER CARE:
and then inflate an extra 20-30 mg Hg. 1. Document in patient's record:
11. Place diaphragm of stethoscope over the brachial
a. Blood pressure reading.
artery, listen carefully and release cuff at even rate
b. Position.
of 2 mm Hg per heartbeat. The systolic pressure is
c. Site.
the reading at the first return of the pulse sound. 2. Report changes in blood pressure to the physician,
12. The diastolic pressure is the reading at which
particularly when blood pressure is out of
sounds stop. (If there is a "muffling" or damping of
the sound prior to loss of sound, record both
readings.)
parameters.
13. Deflate and remove cuff.
14. Obtain blood pressure in both arms on initial
assessment. Perform subsequent assessment on
the arm with the highest pressure.
41