Medical Monitors for the Heart and Brain

The lack of knowledge and confidence of obtaining a manual blood pressure is an ever growing issue in the healthcare field. This paper will outline the importance of taking a manual blood pressure accurately. Providing the proper blood pressure measurement can determine a patient’s care and outcome when in a healthcare facility. I will talk about the pros and cons of manual blood pressures and personal experience of this vital skill in the healthcare field. I will also provide some simple but effect ways to increase confidence and knowledge by just basic education. All of my information and numbers will be supported by using references and studies in the use of manual blood pressure monitoring.

(Marieb and Hoehn, 2010, p 703) defined Blood Pressure (BP) as ‘the force per unit area exerted on a vessel wall by the contained blood, and is expressed in millimetres of mercury (mm Hg)’. BP is still one of the essential and widely used assessment tools in healthcare settings. Nurses generally record the arterial BP which is the forced exerted blood that flows through the arteries, to establish a baseline and to determine any risk factors. BP

Blood pressure is a physiological measurement and would need specific measurement for the prescribing of anti-hypertensives

Student instructions: Follow the step-by-step instructions for this exercise found on the worksheet below and in the virtual lab and record your answers in the spaces below. Submit this completed document by the assignment due date found in the Syllabus.

The purpose of arterial pressure and the pulse lab is to determine the effect of posture and exercise on systolic and diastolic pressure and the heart rate. And also in order to find the differences in the reading taken under these condition compares to the baseline reading. The Sphygmomanometer and stethoscope are used to measure the systolic and diastolic blood pressure, counting the beat on the radial artery will give the reading for pulse rate and by using the lab scribe software and IWX214, the blood pressure will be measured. In the heart, the aorta and the carotid arteries have baroreceptors and the chemoreceptors that identify the changes in arterial pressure and the changes in

When the pressure was measured in the left arm, it was noted to be within normal range, even as the pressure in the right arm was still very low. The team immediately discontinued the pressor order, believing that the patient’s true BP was the one from the left arm, and that the right arm reading was due to local vascular narrowing. Although giving a vasoconstriction medication to a patient with narrow blood vessels could have had catastrophic effects, no adverse outcomes were noted in this

The pulse is an indication of an individual’s heart rate. When checking for a pulse in the primary survey, begin with palpating the patient’s radial or carotid artery (Basic Patient Care 2012, p. 50). This may reveal a normal (60-100 beats/min), tachycardia (<100 beats/min), bradycardia (> 60 beats/min) or asystole heart rate. Additionally, the capillary refill may also provide details about a patient’s cardiovascular status. This is performed by applying pressure to the nail bed and calculating the time it to takes to refill to a normal color, which should take no more then a few seconds otherwise suggesting capillary closure (Mick J Sanders, 2012, p. 1400). An additional accessory to Circulation is Hemorrhages, these involve more through examinations of the pulse, blood pressure and warmth of peripheries of patients. Additionally, you must thoroughly look for indication of bleeding, specifically in the areas around the chest, abdomen and externally seen by the eye.

The normal capillary refill time is less than 2 seconds, anything over indicates reduced skin perfusion. Ask the patient if they have any chest pain, if so begin a ECG monitoring. Take the patients temperature. The normal range for this is 36-37.5 degrees Celsius. A high temperature can be a sign of infection. The doctor may also like to re-take the patient’s Arterial Blood Gas (ABG) because previous results showed respiratory acidosis.

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

The patient should be seated with the feet flat on the floor. The BP is obtained in both arms,

Certain situations absolutely require an a-line for BP monitoring: any use of any dose of nipride, for example. This is a truly powerful drug – it works very quickly, and your patient can rapidly get into all sorts of trouble unless you’re monitoring BP continuously.

Central Lines are inserted for a number of clinical reasons including measurement of CVP, Administration of IV drugs, IV fluids, Blood Draw for difficult to stick patients and some times for nutritional reason (Administration of TPN). The main benefit of central line is for extremely sick people multiple drugs/treatments can be administered simultaneously. The major disadvantages of central lines, it can increase the risk of infection, pneumothorax, hemothorax, subclavian artery puncture, Catheter misplacement, air embolism, thrombosis and malfunctioning. The aim of this study is to discuss the methods adopted by hospitals to minimize

amount of pressure exerted on arterial walls in the patient’s heart. Blood pressure is measured in

Discussing potential risk issues associated with using automated blood pressure/pulse machine in relation to contemporary practice.

The use of intravenous therapy in the hospitals is now considered a routine therapy. In 2016, DeVries and Valentine stated that 70% to 80% of hospital patients have peripheral intravenous lines at some time during their stay. A peripheral intravenous (PIV) line is a small hollow tube (catheter) that is inserted into a vein and can be connected to special tubing. PIV line is commonly used to administer medications or fluids directly into the vein. The article “Intravenous Therapy: A Review of Complications and Economic Considerations of Peripheral Access,” states that the history of intravenous (IV) therapy dates back to the Middle Ages. Dr. Thomas Latta pioneered the use of IV saline infusion during the cholera epidemic and in the 20th century, two world wars established a role for IV therapy as routine medical practice (Dychter, Gold, Carson, & Haller, 2012).