Blood pressure
Systole
value category
(in mmHg)
Normal
120 – 129 80 – 84
Optimal
< 120
Source: WHO, 1999 (World Health Organization)
Measuring the resting indicator (using the HSD diagnosis)
The most frequent error made when measuring blood pressure
is taking the measurement when not at rest (haemodynamic
stability), which means that both the systolic and the diastolic
blood pressures are distorted.
While measuring the blood pressure, the device automatically
determines whether you are at rest or not.
If there is no indication that your circulatory system is not suf-
ficiently at rest, the symbol
up green and the measurement can be recorded as a reliable
resting blood pressure value.
GREEN: Haemodynamic stability
Measurement of the systolic and diastolic pressure is in-
creased when the circulatory system is sufficiently at rest and
is a very reliable indicator of resting blood pressure.
However, if there is an indication that the circulatory system is
not sufficiently at rest (haemodynamic instability), the symbol
lights up red.
In this case, the measurement should be repeated after a pe-
riod of physical and mental rest. The blood pressure measure-
ment must be taken when the patient is physically and mentally
rested, as it will be the basis for diagnosing the blood pressure
level and regulating the patient's medical treatment.
Diastole
Action
(in mmHg)
self-monitoring
< 80
self-monitoring
(haemodynamic stability) lights
RED: Lack of haemodynamic stability
It is very probable that the systolic and diastolic blood pressures
have not been measured whilst the patient is at rest and the rest-
ing blood pressure measurement has therefore been distorted.
Repeat the measurement after a rest and relaxation period of
at least five minutes. Go to a sufficiently quiet and comfortable
spot and remain there calmly; close your eyes, breathe deeply
and evenly and try to relax.
If the next measurement also shows insufficient stability, you
can repeat the measurement after another resting period. If the
measurements continue to show some instability, identify these
blood pressure measurements as having been taken when the
circulatory system had not been sufficiently rested.
In this case, nervousness or inner anxiety may be the cause and
this cannot be cured by brief periods of rest. Existing cardiac ar-
rhythmias may also prevent a stable blood pressure measurement.
A lack of resting blood pressure can have various causes, such
as physical or mental strain or distraction, speaking or experi-
encing cardiac arrhythmias during the measurement.
In an overwhelming number of cases, the HSD diagnosis will
give a very good guide as to whether the circulatory system
is rested when taking the measurement. Certain patients suf-
fering from cardiac arrhythmia or chronic mental conditions
can remain haemodynamically unstable in the long-term,
something which persists even after repeated periods of rest.
The accuracy of the resting blood pressure results is reduced
in these users. Like any medical measurement method, the
precision of the HSD diagnosis is limited and can lead to incor-
rect results in some cases. The blood pressure measurements
taken when the circulatory system was at rest represent par-
ticularly reliable results.
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