Blood pressure monitors for home
Hypertension - home monitoringYour health care provider may ask you to keep track of your blood pressure at home. To do this, you will need to get home blood pressure monitor. The monitor you choose should be good quality and fit well. MANUAL BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORSManual devices include a cuff that wraps around your arm, a rubber squeeze bulb, and a gauge that measures the...
The Basics
Tests for Blood pressure
Self Care
Talking to your MD
Blood pressure - Animation
Blood pressure
Animation
Tracking your blood pressure at home - Animation
Tracking your blood pressure at home
Animation
Essential hypertension - Animation
Essential hypertension
Animation
Hypertension - Animation
Hypertension
Animation
Blood pressure
Blood pressure is the force applied against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood through the body. The pressure is determined by the force and amount of blood pumped and the size and flexibility of the arteries.
Blood pressure
illustration
Blood pressure check
To measure blood pressure, your doctor uses an instrument call a sphygmomanometer, which is more often referred to as a blood pressure cuff. The cuff is wrapped around your upper arm and inflated to stop the flow of blood in your artery. As the cuff is slowly deflated, your doctor uses a stethoscope to listen to the blood pumping through the artery. These pumping sounds register on a gauge attached to the cuff. The first pumping sound your doctor hears is recorded as the systolic pressure, and the last sound is the diastolic pressure.
Blood pressure check
illustration
High blood pressure tests
Routine lab tests are recommended before beginning treatment of high blood pressure to determine organ or tissue damage or other risk factors. These lab tests include urinalysis, blood cell count, blood chemistry (potassium, sodium, creatinine, fasting glucose, total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol), and an ECG (electrocardiogram). Additional tests may be recommended based on your condition.
High blood pressure tests
illustration
Monitoring blood pressure
Hypertension is a disorder characterized by chronically high blood pressure. It must be monitored, treated and controlled by medicines, lifestyle changes, or a combination of both.
Monitoring blood pressure
illustration
Exercise can lower blood pressure
Reducing your weight by just 10 pounds may be enough to lower your blood pressure. Losing weight can help to enhance the effects of high blood pressure medicine and may also reduce other risk factors, such as diabetes and high bad cholesterol.
Exercise can lower blood pressure
illustration
Effects of age on blood pressure
Blood vessels become less elastic with age. The average blood pressure increases from 120/70 to 150/90 and may persist slightly high, even if treated. The blood vessels respond more slowly to a change in body position.
Effects of age on blood pressure
illustration
Increased intracranial pressure
Increased intracranial pressure is almost always indicative of severe medical problems. The pressure itself can be responsible for further damage to the central nervous system by decreasing blood flow to the brain or by causing the brain to herniate (push through) the opening in the back of the skull where the spinal cord is attached. Causes of increased intracranial pressure may include bleeding into the subdural space (subdural hematoma).
Increased intracranial pressure
illustration
Intracranial pressure monitoring
Intracranial pressure monitoring is performed by inserting a catheter into the head with a sensing device to monitor the pressure around the brain. An increase in intracranial pressure can cause a decrease in blood flow to the brain causing brain damage.
Intracranial pressure monitoring
illustration
Stopping bleeding with pressure and ice
Bleeding from most injuries can be stopped by applying direct pressure to the injury. This keeps from cutting off the blood supply to the affected limb. When there is severe bleeding, where a major artery has been severed, pressure may be insufficient and a tourniquet may be necessary.
Stopping bleeding with pressure and ice
illustration
White blood cell count - series
Presentation
Blood pressure - Animation
Blood pressure
Animation
Tracking your blood pressure at home - Animation
Tracking your blood pressure at home
Animation
Essential hypertension - Animation
Essential hypertension
Animation
Hypertension - Animation
Hypertension
Animation
Blood pressure
Blood pressure is the force applied against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood through the body. The pressure is determined by the force and amount of blood pumped and the size and flexibility of the arteries.
Blood pressure
illustration
Blood pressure check
To measure blood pressure, your doctor uses an instrument call a sphygmomanometer, which is more often referred to as a blood pressure cuff. The cuff is wrapped around your upper arm and inflated to stop the flow of blood in your artery. As the cuff is slowly deflated, your doctor uses a stethoscope to listen to the blood pumping through the artery. These pumping sounds register on a gauge attached to the cuff. The first pumping sound your doctor hears is recorded as the systolic pressure, and the last sound is the diastolic pressure.
Blood pressure check
illustration
High blood pressure tests
Routine lab tests are recommended before beginning treatment of high blood pressure to determine organ or tissue damage or other risk factors. These lab tests include urinalysis, blood cell count, blood chemistry (potassium, sodium, creatinine, fasting glucose, total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol), and an ECG (electrocardiogram). Additional tests may be recommended based on your condition.
High blood pressure tests
illustration
Monitoring blood pressure
Hypertension is a disorder characterized by chronically high blood pressure. It must be monitored, treated and controlled by medicines, lifestyle changes, or a combination of both.
Monitoring blood pressure
illustration
Exercise can lower blood pressure
Reducing your weight by just 10 pounds may be enough to lower your blood pressure. Losing weight can help to enhance the effects of high blood pressure medicine and may also reduce other risk factors, such as diabetes and high bad cholesterol.
Exercise can lower blood pressure
illustration
Effects of age on blood pressure
Blood vessels become less elastic with age. The average blood pressure increases from 120/70 to 150/90 and may persist slightly high, even if treated. The blood vessels respond more slowly to a change in body position.
Effects of age on blood pressure
illustration
Increased intracranial pressure
Increased intracranial pressure is almost always indicative of severe medical problems. The pressure itself can be responsible for further damage to the central nervous system by decreasing blood flow to the brain or by causing the brain to herniate (push through) the opening in the back of the skull where the spinal cord is attached. Causes of increased intracranial pressure may include bleeding into the subdural space (subdural hematoma).
Increased intracranial pressure
illustration
Intracranial pressure monitoring
Intracranial pressure monitoring is performed by inserting a catheter into the head with a sensing device to monitor the pressure around the brain. An increase in intracranial pressure can cause a decrease in blood flow to the brain causing brain damage.
Intracranial pressure monitoring
illustration
Stopping bleeding with pressure and ice
Bleeding from most injuries can be stopped by applying direct pressure to the injury. This keeps from cutting off the blood supply to the affected limb. When there is severe bleeding, where a major artery has been severed, pressure may be insufficient and a tourniquet may be necessary.
Stopping bleeding with pressure and ice
illustration
White blood cell count - series
Presentation
Blood pressure monitors for home
Hypertension - home monitoringYour health care provider may ask you to keep track of your blood pressure at home. To do this, you will need to get home blood pressure monitor. The monitor you choose should be good quality and fit well. MANUAL BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORSManual devices include a cuff that wraps around your arm, a rubber squeeze bulb, and a gauge that measures the...
The Basics
Tests for Blood pressure
Self Care
Talking to your MD
Blood pressure monitors for home
Hypertension - home monitoringYour health care provider may ask you to keep track of your blood pressure at home. To do this, you will need to get home blood pressure monitor. The monitor you choose should be good quality and fit well. MANUAL BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORSManual devices include a cuff that wraps around your arm, a rubber squeeze bulb, and a gauge that measures the...
The Basics
Tests for Blood pressure
Self Care
Talking to your MD
Review Date: 7/17/2021
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.