If you are suffering hypertension, it is a vital part of your routine at home to monitor your blood pressure (BP). Blood pressure measurement is taken through the use if a sphygmomanometer which has a cuff, bulb, and a valve to control the pressure. A stethoscope is also required to be able to listen to the korotkoff sound.

Below is a step by step procedure on how to take blood pressure with sphygmomanometer manually and correctly.

How to Take Blood Pressure with Sphygmomanometer

1. Ask the patient to sit down comfortably on a chair.  Let his left arm rest comfortably on a table at about the heart level.  Ask him to roll up his sleeve so that you can put the sphygmomanometer on his forearm.
2. Put the sphygmomanometer on the forearm.  Be certain that it lines up within the brachial artery.  Attach the Velcro of the cuff so that it is wrapped comfortably on the arms of the patient. Check that the cuff is not too loose or too tight.
3. Put the head of the stethoscope inside the cuff over the brachial artery and the tips on your ears.  Hold the head of the stethoscope using your index and middle fingers of your left hand.  Tighten the valve on the BP device so that no air passes out when you pump up the cuff using your right hand.
4. Inflate the bladder in the cuff by using the bulb using your right hand. Inflate until 200mmHg.
5. Deflate the cuff slowly by turning the valve counterclockwise. Listen carefully for the thumping sounds while looking at the reading on the pressure gauge.  The first and the loudest thumping sound that you hear is the systolic blood pressure.
6. Continue deflating the cuff and wait for the last and the softest sound that you hear. Note the reading on the gauge. That is your diastolic pressure.
7. Record the systolic and diastolic blood pressure. If you’re not sure about the reading, you can take another measurement after five to ten minutes.

Generally, 120/80mmHg is considered the normal BP. However, there is no such thing as “normal” BP as it varies from one person to another depending on a number of factors.

If you have just started how to measure blood pressure with sphygmomanometer, it’s alright to make some mistakes for the first few tries. Just keep on practicing or better yet ask someone that you know so he can demonstrate how to measure BP correctly.

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