The following items consist of two statements, one labeled as “Assertion (A)” and the other labeled as the “Reason (R)”. You are to examine the two statements carefully and decide if the Assertion (A) and the Reason (R) are individually true and if so whether the reason is a correct explanation of the assertion. Select your answer to these items using the codes given below and mark your answer accordingly. Assertion (A): A sphygmomanometer is always used in conjunction with a means to determine at what pressure, blood flow is just starting, and at what pressure it is unimpeded. Reason (R): Manual sphygmomanometers are used in conjunction with a stethoscope.
The following items consist of two statements, one labeled as “Assertion (A)” and the other labeled as the “Reason (R)”. You are to examine the two statements carefully and decide if the Assertion (A) and the Reason (R) are individually true and if so whether the reason is a correct explanation of the assertion. Select your answer to these items using the codes given below and mark your answer accordingly. Assertion (A): A sphygmomanometer is always used in conjunction with a means to determine at what pressure, blood flow is just starting, and at what pressure it is unimpeded. Reason (R): Manual sphygmomanometers are used in conjunction with a stethoscope. Correct Answer Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)
Explanation:
A sphygmomanometer or blood pressure meter is a device used to measure blood pressure.
- It consists of a cuff to restrict the blood flow and a mercury or mechanical manometer to measure the pressure.
- It is always used in conjunction with a means to determine at what pressure blood flow is just starting and at what
pressure it is unimpeded. - Manual sphygmomanometers are used in conjunction with a stethoscope.
Operation:
The cuff is normally placed around the upper left arm, at roughly the same vertical height as the heart.
The cuff is inflated until the artery is completely occluded.
- Listening with a stethoscope to the brachial artery at the elbow, the examiner slowly releases the pressure in the cuff.
- As the pressure in the cuffs falls, a “whooshing” sound is heard when blood flow first starts again in the artery.
- The pressure at which this sound began is noted and recorded as the “systolic blood pressure”.
- The cuff pressure is further released until the sound can be no longer be heard and this is recorded as the “diastolic blood pressure”.
Conclusion:
Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)