"Blood pressure (BP) is the pressure of circulating blood against the walls of blood vessels."
This topic covers the measurement of blood pressure, including the systolic and diastolic readings, and the factors that affect blood pressure, such as vasoconstriction and vasodilation.
Cardiovascular system anatomy: Study of the structure and function of the heart, blood vessels, and blood circulation.
Blood pressure regulation: Processes that maintain blood pressure within normal levels, including feedback mechanisms from organs such as the kidney and nervous system.
Hypertension: High blood pressure that can lead to serious health issues if uncontrolled.
Hypotension: Abnormally low blood pressure that can cause fainting and dizziness.
Systolic blood pressure: The higher of the two numbers measured during blood pressure readings, reflecting the pressure in the arteries during the heart's contraction.
Diastolic blood pressure: The lower of the two numbers measured during blood pressure readings, reflecting the pressure in the arteries when the heart is at rest.
Pulse pressure: The difference between systolic and diastolic pressure.
Arterial walls: The structure and composition of the walls of arteries and how they affect blood pressure.
Capillaries: The smallest blood vessels that allow for exchange of nutrients and waste products between the blood and tissues.
Endothelium: The innermost layer of the blood vessels that secretes substances that regulate blood vessel tone and blood pressure.
Vasoconstriction and vasodilation: The narrowing and widening of blood vessels, respectively, that regulate blood flow and blood pressure.
Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE): An enzyme involved in the production of hormones that affect blood vessel constriction and sodium/water balance.
Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS): A hormone system that regulates blood pressure and fluid balance in the body.
Baroreceptors: Sensors in the blood vessels and heart that detect changes in blood pressure and send signals to the brain to maintain homeostasis.
Atherosclerosis: A buildup of plaque in the arteries that can restrict blood flow and increase blood pressure.
Nitric oxide: A gas released by the endothelium that helps regulate blood vessel tone and blood pressure.
Blood pressure monitoring: The methods used to measure and track blood pressure, including cuff-based devices, ambulatory monitoring, and invasive methods.
Systolic blood pressure (SBP): This refers to the pressure exerted by the blood against the arterial walls when the heart beats and pumps the blood out of the heart into the arteries.
Diastolic blood pressure (DBP): This refers to the pressure exerted by the blood against the arterial walls when the heart is at rest, between beats.
Mean arterial pressure (MAP): This is the average pressure within the arterial system during one cardiac cycle. It is calculated by adding one-third of the pulse pressure to the DBP.
Pulse pressure (PP): This is the difference between the SBP and DBP.
Central venous pressure (CVP): This is the pressure within the venous system in the right atrium.
Pulmonary arterial pressure: This is the pressure within the pulmonary arteries, which carry blood from the right ventricle to the lungs.
Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP): This is the pressure within the pulmonary capillaries, which reflect the pressure in the left atrium.
Intracranial pressure (ICP): This is the pressure within the skull, which can be affected by brain tumors, blood clots, or traumatic brain injury.
Intraocular pressure (IOP): This is the pressure within the eye, which can contribute to conditions such as glaucoma.
Arterial pressure waveform: This refers to the graphical representation of the pulsatile changes in arterial pressure during one cardiac cycle.
Oxygen saturation (SaO2): This refers to the level of oxygen saturation in the bloodstream.
Carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2): This refers to the level of carbon dioxide in the arterial blood.
pH: This refers to the acidity or alkalinity of the blood, which can affect blood pressure and overall health.
"Most of this pressure results from the heart pumping blood through the circulatory system."
"When used without qualification, the term 'blood pressure' refers to the pressure in a brachial artery, where it is most commonly measured."
"Blood pressure is usually expressed in terms of the systolic pressure (maximum pressure during one heartbeat) over diastolic pressure (minimum pressure between two heartbeats) in the cardiac cycle."
"It is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) above the surrounding atmospheric pressure, or in kilopascals (kPa)."
"Blood pressure is one of the vital signs together with respiratory rate, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and body temperature."
"Normal resting blood pressure in an adult is approximately 120 millimeters of mercury (16 kPa) systolic over 80 millimeters of mercury (11 kPa) diastolic, denoted as '120/80 mmHg'."
"Globally, the average blood pressure, age standardized, has remained about the same since 1975 to the present, at approx. 127/79 mmHg in men and 122/77 mmHg in women."
"Traditionally, a healthcare worker measured blood pressure non-invasively by auscultation (listening) through a stethoscope for sounds in one arm's artery as the artery is squeezed... Auscultation is still generally considered to be the gold standard of accuracy for non-invasive blood pressure readings in clinic."
"Semi-automated methods have become common, largely due to concerns about potential mercury toxicity, although cost, ease of use, and applicability to ambulatory blood pressure or home blood pressure measurements have also influenced this trend."
"Modern devices validated to international standards achieve an average difference between two standardized reading methods of 5 mm Hg or less, and a standard deviation of less than 8 mm Hg."
"Blood pressure is influenced by cardiac output, systemic vascular resistance, blood volume, and arterial stiffness."
"In the short term, blood pressure is regulated by baroreceptors, which act via the brain to influence the nervous and the endocrine systems."
"Blood pressure that is too low is called hypotension."
"Pressure that is consistently too high is called hypertension."
"Long-term hypertension is a risk factor for many diseases, including stroke, heart disease, and kidney failure."
"Long-term hypertension is more common than long-term hypotension."
"Both hypertension and hypotension have many causes and may be of sudden onset or of long duration."
"Respiratory rate, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and body temperature are the other vital signs used by healthcare professionals."
"Blood pressure varies depending on the patient's situation, emotional state, activity, and relative health or disease state."