Blood vessels in the body and their function
There are five types of blood vessels. These are the veins, arteries, capillaries, venules, and arterioles. The arteries take blood away from the heart, they also provide oxygenated blood to the body cells. Arteries branch into smaller vessels called arterioles, which help in delivering blood to the tissues. The arterioles further branch to capillaries, where the exchange of waste from the cell and nutrients takes place. Several capillaries combine to form venules, which carry blood to the veins. The vein then returns deoxygenated blood into the heart. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and removes carbon dioxide and other waste products.
How to take a blood pressure
Blood pressure is taken when the subject is standing or sitting. In a seated position, the arm should be flexed to bring the elbow to the same level as the heart. The upper arm is first wrapped with a cuff from an inch above the antecubital fossa. The stethoscope’s bell is then pressed over the brachial artery just below the cuff’s edge. Subsequently, the cuff is inflated rapidly to 180mmHg before releasing air in it at a moderate rate of 3mm/sec. listening to the stethoscope and reading the sphygmomanometer is then done simultaneously. The first knocking sound heard is systolic pressure. The diastolic pressure is indicated by the disappearance of the knocking sound. Blood pressure is measured in both arms and recorded. If elevated blood pressure is detected, the blood pressure should be measured two more times. A blood pressure reading of 180/120mmHg or more is high while 90/ 60mm Hg is low.
Hypertension and shock
Blood pressure refers to the force exerted against the walls of blood vessels by a person. It is highly dependent on the heart-pumping action and the resistance of the vessels. Hypertension is caused by the elevation of blood pressure to about 180/120 mm Hg. An increase in blood pressure hinders the ability of the heart to pump blood effectively because it damages blood vessels by causing inflammation or leakage. Shock is a condition resulting from an inadequate supply of oxygen to organs due to low blood pressure. Blood pressure is reduced by the excessive widening of blood vessels (distributive shock), low blood volume (hypovolemic shock), and poor heart pumping (cardiogenic shock).
Reference
High Blood Pressure/Hypertension. (n.d.). Johns Hopkins Medicine. Web.
What is High Blood Pressure? (2016). American Heart Association. Web.