During blood pressure measurement, which error will most likely produce a false high diastolic reading?

During blood pressure measurement, which error will most likely produce a false high diastolic reading?

• A. Inflating the cuff too slowly
• B. Deflating the cuff too quickly
• C. Not supporting the arm
• D. Using an incorrectly sized cuff

Answer: (A)

The key idea is how the Korotkoff sounds define the diastolic pressure. Diastolic pressure is read at the moment the sounds disappear as you deflate the cuff. If the cuff is inflated very slowly, the pressure in the cuff rises gradually through the diastolic range, and subtle sounds can linger or be heard for a bit longer than they should. This makes it easy to interpret the disappearance of sounds as occurring at a higher cuff pressure, giving a false high diastolic reading. In contrast, using a cuff that's too small tends to elevate both systolic and diastolic readings, not specifically the diastolic, and other errors like not supporting the arm or deflating too quickly affect readings in different ways. Keeping inflation at a controlled, brisk rate helps ensure the diastolic value corresponds to the true point at which arterial flow resumes or stops.

The key idea is how the Korotkoff sounds define the diastolic pressure. Diastolic pressure is read at the moment the sounds disappear as you deflate the cuff. If the cuff is inflated very slowly, the pressure in the cuff rises gradually through the diastolic range, and subtle sounds can linger or be heard for a bit longer than they should. This makes it easy to interpret the disappearance of sounds as occurring at a higher cuff pressure, giving a false high diastolic reading.

In contrast, using a cuff that's too small tends to elevate both systolic and diastolic readings, not specifically the diastolic, and other errors like not supporting the arm or deflating too quickly affect readings in different ways. Keeping inflation at a controlled, brisk rate helps ensure the diastolic value corresponds to the true point at which arterial flow resumes or stops.