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The effect of clothes on blood pressure measurement
Nurcan Ertug1, Tugba Cakal2, Seyda Busra Ozturk3
1Nurcan Ertug, RN PhD. Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, Ufuk University, Ankara, Turkey.
Objective:
To determine the effect of clothes on blood pressure measurement.
Methods:
One group pretest-posttest design was used in this study. The study consisted of 162 undergraduate students studying nursing and physiotherapy at a university in Ankara, Turkey. Blood pressure was measured over the sleeve and below a rolled-up sleeve with a mercury-filled column sphygmomanometer. All blood pressure measurements were performed on the right arm during morning hours by the same nurse. Each participant's height, weight and clothing thickness were measured.
Results:
The mean age of the participants was 20.71. The median systolic blood pressure values were 110.07 mmHg over the sleeve and 110.37 mmHg below the rolled-up sleeve. There were no statistically significant differences between measurements taken over the sleeve and below a rolled-up sleeve (p=0.222). The median diastolic blood pressure values were 69.56 mmHg over the sleeve and 69.59 mmHg below the rolled-up sleeve. There were no statistically significant differences between measurements taken over the sleeve and below a rolled-up sleeve (p=0.572).
Conclusion:
It was found that clothes have no statistically significant effect on systolic/diastolic blood pressure measurements. Measuring blood pressure over a sleeve may save time.
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Physiological Factors:
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The Brachial Artery: Primary Site for Blood Pressure Measurement
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This invasive approach involves cannulating a peripheral artery. During each cardiac contraction, pressure generates mechanical motion within the catheter, transmitted through rigid, fluid-filled tubing to a transducer. This transducer converts mechanical motion into electrical signals displayed as waveforms on a monitor. An automatic flushing system prevents blood backflow. Due to the potential risk of unexpected arterial blood loss, this method is primarily used in intensive...
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Special considerations while measuring blood pressure
Monitoring Both Arms:
Monitoring BP in both arms during the initial assessment is advisable, as the systolic value may differ by five to ten mm Hg between arms. For subsequent BP assessments, use the arm with the higher reading.
Measurement of Blood Pressure

