Three patients have these readings of blood pressure, in mm Hg: 118/76, 142/88 and 138/94…
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
Three patients have these readings of blood pressure, in mm Hg: , and .
- What is the pulse pressure of the first patient?
- What is the pulse pressure of the second patient?
- What is the pulse pressure of the third patient?
- Which patients have hypertension?
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
Normal blood pressure is mm Hg. A reading of mm Hg or higher is hypertension. The pulse pressure is the systolic pressure minus the diastolic pressure. In coronary artery disease, deposits narrow the coronary arteries. Angina is a chest pain from too little oxygen in the heart muscle. Heart failure is not cardiac arrest and not a heart attack.
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Given. The three readings.
Plan. Subtract for the pulse pressure, and compare each number with and .
Step 1. First. mm Hg. Both numbers are below the limits.
Step 2. Second. mm Hg. The systolic pressure is above .
Step 3. Third. mm Hg. The diastolic pressure is above .
Step 4. Hypertension. The second and the third patients.
Answer: mm Hg; mm Hg; mm Hg; the second and the third.
Watch out. One high number is enough. The third patient has a systolic pressure below and is still in the range of hypertension.
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