Got My Sphymomanometer!!!

Yay!! Finally, it's here! Ok, I should probably get back on my CVS instead of playing with this thing. Anyhow, here it is:

Aneroid Sphygmomanometer set. It comes with a bag!!! Though the bag is... er... nevermind...

Inflating the cuff up to 280mmHg. I wanna try 300 but it's really not a good idea considering the pain.

And my veins bulge out like this, you still want 300? nah... no thanx...

Positioning the stethoscope at brachial artery to listen for systolic and diastolic moments. The patient should extend (straighten) their arm instead of as shown in the picture (did that because I have to hold the camera!).

Oh and if you're wondering how to use it? well, to make it simple, inflate the cuff up about 200mmHg (assuming the one which you are listening to falls between the normal distribution of blood pressure), position the stethoscope as shown above on the brachial artery, in which at this point there should be no sound. Deflate the cuff slowly and at certain point, you will hear the weird "tuk tuk" sound, that's the systolic pressure, note that down. And as you continue to deflate, at certain point, the sound will disappear, that's the diastolic pressure. Note that down too.

The concept behind it? I'm just to lazy to put them down in words, but bottom line, systolic pressure is the pressure when you heart contracts and diastolic is when your heart relax. That's why you get X/Y (ie. 120/80) when you get your blood pressure measured in hospital. X would be your systolic and otherwise. Also, to have a blood pressure of 120/80 is rather odd. In fact most teens' readings are below that. Probably 110/75? Girls may even have readings below that. The 120/80 is just the arbitrary value.

And if at this point, you still wonder what is a sphygmomanometer, it's the device to measure your blood pressure. Normally it should come with the mercury bar but I bought this one which uses an analog meter considering the price and risk of me spilling or breaking the mercury bar.

Aite, should probably get on with study now. Excited!