How to Check Blood Pressure Manually

Checking manual blood pressure is an important skill for nurses to have. Here are the steps to check manual blood pressure: 

• Wash your hands and introduce yourself to the patient. Explain the procedure and ensure that the patient is comfortable and relaxed. 

• Position the patient correctly. The patient should be seated with their arm supported at heart level. The cuff should be wrapped around the upper arm, with the bottom edge of the cuff about 1-2 inches above the elbow. 
• Locate the brachial artery. Use your index and middle fingers to locate the brachial artery on the inside of the patient’s arm, just below the elbow. 
• Inflate the cuff. Use the bulb to inflate the cuff until you can no longer feel the patient’s pulse in the brachial artery. Note the reading on the pressure gauge. 
• Deflate the cuff. Use the valve to slowly release the air from the cuff while listening with a stethoscope over the brachial artery. 
• Listen for the first Korotkoff sound. As air is released from the cuff, you will hear a tapping sound. The first tapping sound you hear is the systolic blood pressure. 

• Listen for the last Korotkoff sound. Continue to release air from the cuff. The last sound you hear, before the sound disappears, is the diastolic blood pressure. 
• Record the blood pressure reading. Record the systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings, in millimeters of mercury (mmHg), in the patient’s medical record.

Remember to repeat the process on the same arm at least twice, with a rest period of a few minutes between readings, to ensure accuracy. If the readings differ significantly, take additional readings until you have a consistent reading.

It’s important to ensure that you are properly trained and have practiced this skill under the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional before attempting to check a patient’s blood pressure on your own.