High Blood Pressure

Hypertension or ”HTN” for short is the name for blood pressure that stays high over a long period of time.  Hypertension damages the blood vessels by causing them to stiffen, thicken, and sometimes become narrow.  This common killer takes twice as many lives in the United States as AIDS. 

NORMAL BLOOD PRESSURE

• Normal blood pressure rises and falls throughout the day. It can even change from minute to minute depending on stress level and activity level.
• Any blood pressure reading less than 120 over 80 is considered normal.

Blood pressure is normal when it is between 120 or less / 80 or less.

Blood pressure is higher when it is between 130-139 / 85-89.

Blood pressure is HIGH when it is between 140 or higher / 90 or higher.

SYMPTOMS OF HYPERTENSION

Hypertension is called the “Silent Killer” because there are usually no early symptoms!   Some people do develop symptoms after they’ve had high blood pressure for many years.  Their symptoms are actually clues that their heart and blood vessels have been damaged.  They include:

• Headaches (often severe)
• Heart palpitations
• Dizziness
• Nose bleeds
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Fatigue

NOTIFY YOUR SUPERVISOR IF:

• You get a pressure that is very different from the last one that was taken.  (But, be sure to take the client’s pressure again first...in case you got a false reading the first time.) 
• Your orders include “parameters.”  For example, your orders might read:  “Notify supervisor if client’s BP is higher than 150/95.”

REMEMBER TO DOCUMENT:

• The client’s position while you took the blood pressure (lying, sitting or standing).
• Which arm you used for the reading.
• Both the top and the bottom number of the blood pressure.