Reading the Chart of Blood Pressure - How to measure Blood Pressure using Machine?

Blood pressure is a measurement of the systolic and diastolic pressures. We’re accustomed to seeing blood pressure referred to in the form of two numbers separated by a slash (/). That upper number is the systolic pressure and the lower is diastolic. In very simple terms, the systolic represents the amount of blood being pumped out by the heart and the diastolic is the amount of pressure as the heart refills with blood for the next pump. It’s long been assumed that blood pressure played a role in overall health, though exactly how blood circulated and was manufactured was up for debate for many years.

An ancient Greek physician had made some assertions about the process, though some of his ideas came under fire from others who were thinking about the blood circulation system. In the 1600s, William Harvey came up with the idea that the same blood was circulated throughout the body, over and over. Although the idea wasn’t immediately embraced, it gradually gained in popularity.

In the 1700s, a British veterinarian put a tube into a horse’s vein in an attempt to better understand blood pressure. The pipe was connected to a glass tube and the rise and fall of the blood in that tube gave rise to the idea that blood pressure could somehow be monitored.

It wasn’t until 1847 that someone came up with an idea of how to actually measure that pressure, but it again required inserting a tube directly into a vein. Using catheters is still sometimes used in extreme situations when traditional blood pressure monitoring won’t work, but at that time it was the only choice. Still, the procedure was much too invasive to be used on a regular basis with human patients.

Finally, doctors and researchers began to experiment with other means of measuring blood pressure. The method of monitoring blood pressure in the last half of the 1800s used a manometer tube – a piece of chemistry equipment – with a complicated attachment that included a rod and quill. The quill created a mark on a drum and the name “kymograph” was coined. Kymograph is the Greek word for “wave writer.”

As technology expanded, those researching blood pressure came up with some various designs of the modern-day sphygmomanometer.

Acceptance of this method of measuring blood pressure was hampered by the same things that slow acceptance of many technological advances today – fear of the unknown and skepticism of new things at the top of the list. Added to that was the doubt of medical professionals that blood pressure even mattered.

Today, there’s no doubt among the medical community that controlling blood pressure is one of the most important things a person can do to help maintain an overall good health. With that in mind, many people make arrangements to have blood pressure checked on a regular basis. You’ll find automated blood pressure cuffs available free at many retail stores that have pharmacies, including the majority of Wal-Mart stores, Wal-Greens, K-Mart and many others. You may also find that clinics in your area offer free blood pressure screening on specific days each month. Senior adult centers and pharmacies may also offer to check your blood pressure for free.

If you’re a young, healthy person, checking your blood pressure every six months is probably adequate, unless you show signs of high or low blood pressure, or if you get a reading that differs greatly from your normal readings. If you have health problems – especially heart disease, kidney disease or high or low blood pressure – you should follow your doctor’s orders.

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