How to take a manual blood pressure
measurement for
MMM17
For 15 minutes before their blood pressure is measured,
the person must not…
SMOKE
DRINK ALCOHOL
CONSUME A CAFFEINATED DRINK*
*This includes colas and other carbonated drinks like Red Bull as well as tea and coffee
The person’s posture is important.
They need to sit on a chair with their back supported.
The person’s elbow should rest on the table, with arm
supported, at about the same level as their heart.
Use either arm, but the left arm is preferred.
The person’s legs should not be dangling, should not be crossed,
and should be flat on the floor.
The length of the automated device bladder should be
80% of the circumference of the upper arm.
Larger, more muscular people with thicker arms need a larger bladder.
Position the cuff’s lower edge about an inch (2.5cm)
above the elbow bend.
Close the cuff and then secure with the Velcro fastening.
Now let the person rest for FIVE MINUTES with the
cuff attached to their arm before taking the first
measurement.
Do not talk to them or allow them
to talk to other people, or allow them
to move from their chair.
When you are using a conventional sphygmomanometer and
stethoscope, first measure the person’s heart rate.
Feel for the pulse in their wrist, count the number of pulses per
minute, and record using the MMM app or the document we provide.
You can access both at www.maymeasure.com
Next measure the blood pressure — it’s best not to talk during this
process.
First put the stethoscope earpieces in your ears...
Place the stethoscope bell over the brachial artery found in the inside
of the person’s bent elbow.
Listen for a steady thump in the brachial artery.
Tighten the screw at the side of
the rubber bulb….
Squeeze the bulb.
As air is squeezed into the
bulb, the cuff will expand.
Inflate the cuff using the bulb until the blood flow
through the brachial artery stops.
You will know when this has happened because you
will no longer hear any sound through the
stethoscope earpieces.
Increase the pressure in the cuff to 30 millimetres of
mercury ABOVE the point where no blood flow is
taking place through the cuff,
This happens when...
No pulse can be heard through the stethoscope or
No pulse can be felt in the wrist
Loosen the valve on the bulb to release the
pressure...
The pressure releases so that the rate of drop is two
millimetres per second...
When the pressure falls to the point where blood
starts flowing through the brachial artery again,
the number shown on the dial or column of
mercury corresponds to the first sound heard
through the stethoscope...
This is the SYSTOLIC (SBP) blood pressure reading
When the pressure is further reduced to the point
where no sound can be heard in the stethoscope, the
number shown on the dial or column of mercury is…
… the DIASTOLIC (DBP) reading.
Record the systolic, diastolic, and heart rate readings
on the MMM17 app.
If you cannot access the app, please complete document we provide. You
can do this offline on a laptop or tablet
or on a paper version of the document. You can access the app and the
document at www.maymeasure.com
Take two further blood pressure and heart rate readings and
record these using the MMM17 app
or the document we provide. The person needs to sit quietly for
one minute between the first and second and
second and third readings.
After completing the three measurements and
recording them on the app or the document we
provide, remove the cuff to complete the process.
If the SYSTOLIC measurement is an average of 140 or
higher across the three readings you have just taken,
the person has high blood pressure (hypertension).
If the DIASTOLIC measurement is an average of 90 or
higher across the three readings you have just taken,
the person has high blood pressure (hypertension).
If the person has high blood pressure, please hand
them a copy of the MMM17 Ten Top Tips and
explain what their numbers mean using
the hypertension information sheet.
This step is discretionary, depending on the MMM17
materials you are using at your screening site...
You can record their readings on the MMM17 blood
pressure record card and hand this to them to share
with their doctor in the future.
www.maymeasure.com
International Society of Hypertension, 8 Waldegrave Rd, Teddington, TW11 8HT, UK