While measuring a patient's blood pressure, the nurse recalls ...

[leo leo]

While measuring a patient's blood pressure, the nurse recalls that certain factors, such as __________, help determine blood pressure.
 
  a. Pulse rate
  b. Pulse pressure
  c. Vascular output
  d. Peripheral vascular resistance

Question 2

A patient's blood pressure is 118/82 mm Hg. He asks the nurse, What do the numbers mean? The nurse's best reply is:
 
  a. The numbers are within the normal range and are nothing to worry about.
  b. The bottom number is the diastolic pressure and reflects the stroke volume of the heart.
  c. The top number is the systolic blood pressure and reflects the pressure of the blood against the arteries when the heart contracts.
  d. The concept of blood pressure is difficult to understand. The primary thing to be concerned about is the top number, or the systolic blood pressure.

[Pamela.irrgang@yahoo.com]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: D
The level of blood pressure is determined by five factors: cardiac output, peripheral vascular resistance, volume of circulating blood, viscosity, and elasticity of the vessel walls.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: C
The systolic pressure is the maximum pressure felt on the artery during left ventricular contraction, or systole. The diastolic pressure is the elastic recoil, or resting, pressure that the blood constantly exerts in between each contraction. The nurse should answer the patient's question and use terms he can understand.