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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Should Be The Ideal BP Level?

My mom is 94 and has been in very good health all her life until the last 6 months or so. I am trying to understand the blood pressure chart but the top and bottom numbers don t really fall into the same area. The top number seems to vary a lot more than the bottom number. 8:30am     49     156/77 11am     52     182/63 1:40pm     55     163/77
Sat, 29 Mar 2014
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Emergency Medicine Specialist,  's  Response
If you are measuring blood pressure with a electronic instrument.. you will get such readings. And also a sitting, semi inclined, unrelaxed , moving patient , wrongly tied instrument will show various fluctuations in the readings , especially upper if arms are moving.
The correct method is to Lie down, rest for a minute, with the bp cuff tied. No movements of the arm , keep arm relaxed ( remember left arm only) and not right arm,mind relaxed.
This reading would be counted as ok with an error rate of 5% only.
So to conclude , follow my method and see if you are getting fluctuations.I am sure u would get steady readings. However at age of 94, the upper reading can reach upto 180 to 200 / with no significance..... Its the lower reading which must be maintained at her age at between 90 and 70.
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What Should Be The Ideal BP Level?

If you are measuring blood pressure with a electronic instrument.. you will get such readings. And also a sitting, semi inclined, unrelaxed , moving patient , wrongly tied instrument will show various fluctuations in the readings , especially upper if arms are moving. The correct method is to Lie down, rest for a minute, with the bp cuff tied. No movements of the arm , keep arm relaxed ( remember left arm only) and not right arm,mind relaxed. This reading would be counted as ok with an error rate of 5% only. So to conclude , follow my method and see if you are getting fluctuations.I am sure u would get steady readings. However at age of 94, the upper reading can reach upto 180 to 200 / with no significance..... Its the lower reading which must be maintained at her age at between 90 and 70.