For those of you who have blood pressure problems, chances are that the term "orthostatic blood pressure" is no longer unfamiliar. Basically, orthostatic blood pressure is a vital marker that can be obtained through the process of medical examinations in patients who have the potential to have problems with their blood pressure. Meanwhile, orthostatic hypotension is an abnormal decrease in blood pressure when the patient changes position (from lying down to standing, sitting to standing, etc.), which is usually accompanied by symptoms such as dizziness or even fainting. In particular, if your systolic (higher number) blood pressure drops by 20 points when standing, or if your diastolic (lower number) blood pressure drops by 10 points when standing/after standing for three minutes, you are hypotensive. orthostatic. To identify this possibility, try taking your and/or those closest to you with suspected orthostatic hypotension in a variety of different positions, following the tips outlined in this article.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Measuring Blood Pressure While Lying
Step 1. Ask the person to lie down for five minutes
Make sure the position of his back is really against the table, bed, or sofa, yes! Then, bandage the right upper arm tightly with the cuff that is on the sphygmomanometer (blood pressure measuring device), then maintain the cuff position with the help of velcro adhesive.
Step 2. Place the stethoscope over the brachial artery
After wrapping the arm with a special cuff, ask the person to open the palm of the hand up and place the stethoscope on the inside of the elbow. Because the stethoscope's cross-section is quite wide, placing it on the inside of the elbow is a powerful method of reaching the brachial artery that lies around this area. Later, you will listen to the sound coming from the brachial artery to measure the person's blood pressure.
Step 3. Inflate the cuff that goes around the arm
Usually, the cuff should be inflated to 200 mm Hg and then released until the cuff is deflated and the pressure needle is slowly decreasing. While the cuff is deflated, observe the person's systolic blood pressure readings. Specifically, the systolic blood pressure number indicates the pressure when the heart contracts to pump blood around the body, which is generally between 110 and 140.
- When you hear a ticking sound on the stethoscope, it means that the needle has touched the person's systolic blood pressure. In particular, the sound you hear indicates the presence of blood flowing through the brachial artery.
- Record the results in your head while continuing to listen to the sound that is heard through the stethoscope as the cuff deflates.
Step 4. Record the person's diastolic blood pressure after the sound on the stethoscope is clear again
The diastolic blood pressure should be lower than the systolic blood pressure, between 60 and 90. Specifically, this is the pressure in the arteries between the beats of the heart.
Place a slash between the person's systolic and diastolic blood pressure numbers. Then, include the unit of measurement for blood pressure, namely millimeters of mercury or mm HG. For example, you could write “120/70 mm Hg.”
Step 5. Finish the process by measuring the person's pulse
To get the result, please place your index and middle fingers on the inside of the person's wrist. Then count the pulse for one minute and if necessary, use the help of your watch as a guide.
- Most people have around 60-100 beats per minute (BPM). If the person's pulse exceeds what is considered reasonable, he or she will most likely not be able to stand up for the next stage of the examination.
- Write down the number of pulses or heartbeats per minute, then prepare yourself for the next stage of the examination.
Part 2 of 3: Measuring Blood Pressure While Standing
Step 1. Ask the person to stand up
Make sure there is an object he can hold to support his body, just in case his leg strength is unstable. Then, have him hold on to the object with his left hand so you can measure the blood pressure and pulse in his right hand.
- Wait for her condition to stabilize, but it's best to get her checked as soon as possible (within one minute) after she gets up.
- Ask him to let you know if he feels dizzy or wants to pass out, so you can ask him to sit down again. Even if he or she has to stand up all the time for the results to be accurate, don't force the situation if the risk of fainting is imminent.
Step 2. Re-inflate the cuff that goes around the arm
Record the systolic and diastolic blood pressure numbers, then repeat the pulse measurement process and record the results.
Step 3. Wait for two minutes
During this time, ask the person to remain standing. Two minutes after the moment of the first measurement while standing, and after the person has stood for three minutes, you can immediately take a second measurement that will be used as a comparison. To get a second measurement, re-inflate the cuff and record the results of the systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements. If the person's physiological condition is normal, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure numbers should be higher in the second measurement process than the first measurement, mainly because the body has longer time to adapt to the change in posture.
Step 4. Perform the process of measuring the last pulse on his wrist
Then, record the results and ask the person to sit back down, while you calculate the difference between each measurement and evaluate the results.
Part 3 of 3: Evaluating Examination Results
Step 1. Evaluate the results
Reduce the person's blood pressure reading when standing for 1 minute with when lying down. In addition, also reduce the number of blood pressure when standing for 3 minutes with when lying down, just to compare the results and observe the speed of his body to adapt.
- Assess potential for orthostatic hypotension. If his systolic blood pressure number drops by 20 mm Hg, or if his diastolic blood pressure drops by 10 mm Hg, it is very likely that he has the condition.
- Remember, the condition is diagnosed based on blood pressure readings when standing for 1 minute, not 3 minutes, because the 3 minute stand trial is actually only done to compare his body's adaptability to standing for longer periods of time).
- In addition, also observe an increase in pulse rate. In general, a person's pulse rate usually increases by 10-15 beats per minute. Therefore, if his pulse increases by 20 beats or more every minute, take him to the doctor immediately for further examination.
Step 2. Observe the symptoms that appear
Regardless of the difference in blood pressure readings when lying down and standing up, if you feel dizzy when you stand up, you should immediately ask the person being examined to diagnose the root cause of the symptoms. Basically, the diagnosis of orthostatic hypotension can be made simply by observing the symptoms, regardless of the magnitude of the difference in the patient's blood pressure readings when changing positions. Therefore, do not forget to ask the sensation that the person feels when suddenly standing up.
Step 3. Understand the importance of checking orthostatic blood pressure
Orthostatic hypotension (a drop in blood pressure immediately after standing up) is a very common medical disorder, especially in the elderly. Generally, the symptoms that appear are dizziness when standing. In some cases, people with orthostatic hypotension may suddenly pass out when standing up because of the lack of adequate blood flow to the brain. That is why, a person who has the potential to experience orthostatic hypotension must be able to be aware of the risk factors they have, in order to be able to improve their condition as quickly and as well as possible.
- In older people, common causes of orthostatic hypotension are medications they are taking, dehydration, lack of salt intake (though too much salt intake can lead to high blood pressure), or a slowing of the body's response to their blood pressure after standing up., which in fact, intersect with a person's natural aging process.
- Orthostatic hypotension is actually much more common in adults or the elderly. However, in children or adolescents, orthostatic hypotension may occur as a result of the presence of another disease (Parkinson's, paraneoplastic syndrome, etc.), extreme dehydration, or the condition of posttraumatic large blood loss.
