1. Arterial and venous blood pressures
Dr.Haya Al-Ghazali

2. Arterial Blood Pressure (BP)
= The lateral pressure force generated by the pumping action of the heart on the wall of aorta & arterial blood vessels per unit area.
OR = Pressure inside big arteries (aorta & big vessels).
■ Measured in (mmHg), & sometimes in (cmH2O), where mmHg = 1.36 cmH2O.
■ Of 2 components:
systolic … (= max press reached)
diastolic … (= min press reached)

3. Arterial Blood Pressure (continued)
In normal adult  120/80 mmHg.
■ Diastolic pressure is more important, because diastolic period is longer than the systolic period in the cardiac
cycle.
■ Pulse pressure = Systolic BP – Diastolic BP.
■ Mean arterial pressure = Diastolic BP + 1/3 Pulse press.

4. Factors affecting ABP:
■ Sex … M > F …due to hormones/ equal at menopause.
■ Age … Elderly > children …due to atherosclerosis.
■ Emotions … due to secretion of adrenaline & noradrenaline.
■ Exercise … due to  venous return.
■ Hormones … (e.g. Adrenaline, noradrenaline, thyroid H).
■ Gravity …  Lower limbs > upper limbs.
■ Race … Orientals > Westerns … ? dietry factors, or weather.
■ Sleep …  due to  venous return.
■ Pregnancy … due to  metabolism.

5. Factors determining ABP:
Blood Pressure = Cardiac Output X Peripheral Resistance
(BP)
(CO)
Flow
(PR)
Diameter of arterioles
■ BP depends on:
1. Cardiac output  CO = SV X HR.
2. Peripheral resistance.
3. Blood volume.

8. Total peripheral resistance = TPR
-- combined resistance of all vessels
-- vasodilation  resistance decreases
-- vasoconstriction  resistance increases

9. Classification of Blood Pressure
JNC 7 Guidelines (2003)
Category SBP DBP
Normal < 120 or < 80
Prehypertension or 80-89
Stage or
Stage ≥ 160 or ≥ 100

10. Definitions and Classification of BP Levels (mmHg)
Category
Systolic
Diastolic
Optimal
<120
and
<80
Normal
and/or
80-84
High Normal
85-89
Grade 1
Hypertension
90-99
Grade 2
Grade 3
≥ 180
≥ 110
Isolated Systolic
≥ 140
< 90
The most suitable guidelines ESH
Awaiting for the new one from JNC 8 during this year 2009
Journal of Hypertension 2007;25:
European Society of Hypertension, European Society of Cardiology 10

11. Hypertension with no known cause (primary, formerly, essential hypertension) is most common.
Hypertension with an identified cause (secondary hypertension) is usually due to a renal disorder.
Usually, no symptoms develop unless hypertension is severe or long-standing.

12. Secondary (identifiable) Causes of Hypertension
Chronic kidney disease
Primary aldosteronism
Renovascular disease
Sleep apnoea
Drug induced/ related
Cushing’s Syndrome or steroid therapy
Phaeochromocytoma
Coarctation of the aorta
Thyroid/ parathyroid disease

13. Management
Treat to BP <140/90 mmHg or BP <130/80 mmHg in patients with diabetes or chronic kidney disease.
Start with lifestyle modifications
Without Compelling Indications
Stage 1 Stage 2
Thiazide for most Thiazide + ACE-I, ARB, BB
With Compelling Indications
Drug(s) for compelling indications 
Not at goal BP
Optimise dosages or add additional drugs until goal BP achieved
Most people will require at least 2 drugs

14. Measurement Invasive measurement Noninvasive measurement
Arterial pressure is most commonly measured via a sphygmomanometer.
Invasive measurement
Noninvasive measurement

15. Invasive measurement
Arterial blood pressure (BP) is most accurately measured invasively through an arterial line.
Invasive arterial pressure measurement with intravascular cannulae involves direct measurement of arterial pressure by placing a cannula needle in an artery (usually radial, femoral, dorsalis pedis or brachial(

16. Noninvasive measurement
Palpation method
Auscultatory method

17. Is your patient ready?
If your patient has finished a cigarette or an alcoholic beverage within the last 15 minutes the readings will be altered.
If they haven’t sat quietly for at least 5 minutes or are talking during the procedure, the readings will be altered.
Systolic and diastolic BP's in hypertensive and normotensive patients increase with talking
And if you have placed the cuff over a shirt sleeve the readings will not be reliable.

18. Brachial artery is the most common measurement site
Close to heart
Convenient measurement

19. 1. Use appropriate size BP cuff
Is the cuff you are using sized for the patient? A cuff too large can cause reading to be lower than actual and a cuff too small can cause reading to be higher than actual.
Cuff sizes are:Small Adult 17-25cm/Standard Adult 23-33cm/Large Adult 31-40cm/Thigh 38-50cm.

20. 2. Position patient
Patient should be seated with back and arms supported, feet on floor, and legs uncrossed with upper arm at heart level

21. 3.Measure baseline BP bilaterally

22. Cuff applied 1 inch above crease at elbow
Locate brachial artery
Palpate radial pulse
Inflate cuff until pulse disappears

23. Palpation method
The blood pressure can be measured in noisy environment
Only the systolic pressure can be measured (not DP)
The technique does not give accurate results for infants and hypotensive patients

24. Auscultatory method
Pulse waves that propagate through the brachial artery, generate Korotkoff sounds.
There are 5 distinct phases in the Korotkoff sounds, which define SP and DP
The Korotkoff sounds are ausculted with a stethoscope

25. Korotkoff sounds First Phase Second Phase Third Phase
A clear tapping sound; onset of the sound for two consecutive beats is considered systolic
Second Phase
The tapping sound followed by a murmur
Third Phase
A loud crisp tapping sound

26. Fourth Phase Fifth Phase
Abrupt, distinct muffling of sound, gradually decreasing in intensity
Fifth Phase
The disappearance of sound, is considered diastolic blood pressure- two points below the last sound heard

28. Venous Pressure 28

29. Venous Pressure
Venous Pressure generally refers to the average pressure within venous compartment of circulation
Blood from all the systemic veins flows into the right atrium of the heart, therefore the pressure in the Rt atrium called Central Venous pressure 29

30. How to measure the CVP ??
Direct: by catheter introduced into large thoracic veins
Indirect: Is estimated from Jugular venous pressure 30

31. Jugular Venous Pulse (JVP)
There is no valves between the Rt atrium and the Internal Jugular Vein . So the degree of distension of this vein is dictated by the Rt atrium pressure.
Pressure changes transmitted from right atrium
The right internal jugular is the best neck vein to inspect
Provides information about hemodynamic changes in right atrium & ventricle 31

32. Anatomy Of IJV 32

33. Cont….
The internal jugular vein is lateral to carotid artery & deep to sternomastoid muscle.
External jugular is superficial to sternomastoid 33

34. JVP waves 34

35. Cont…. A a positive wave due to atrial contraction.
C a positive deflection due closure of tricuspid (carotid pulsation)
X a negative deflection due to atrial relaxation
V a positive deflection due to filling of the right atrium against the closed tricuspid valve during ventricular contraction (venous return)
Y a negative deflection due to emptying of the right atrium upon ventricular relaxation 35

36. Abnormalities of wave Prominent ‘a’ wave :
Right atrial and right ventricular hypertrophy (due to P.HTN or P.stenosis)
Tricuspid stenosis.
Cannon wave:
Large ‘a’ wave produce when Rt atrium contract against closed tricuspid valve. This seen in complete heart block 36

37. Cont… Kussmaul sign: A paradoxical rise of JVP on inspiration. Causes:
Constrictive pericarditis
Cardiac tamponade
Sever Rt ventricular failure 37

38. Difference between arterial and venous pulsation in neck
Change in posture ?
Change in respiration ?
Abdomino-jugular reflux ?
Pulsation pattern ?
Palpation ?
Occlusion ? 38

39. How measure JVP ?
LOOK
CONFIRM
MEASURE 39

40. Method Position 45 degree
Rest the pt head on pillow to ensure neck muscle relax, and slightly tilted toward the left side.
look acorss the neck from the Rt side of the pt.
Identify the Jugular vein
Confirm the pulse. 40

41. Cont.. Identify the upper limit of venous pulsation
JVP is measured by two pencils method
Place one pencil at sternal angle vertical to ground & other pencil at upper limit of venous pulsation horizontal to the ground
Measure length of the verticbal pencil in cm btw the sternal angle & where it is crossed by the horizontal pencil.
Normal JVP up to 3 cm 41

42. 42

43. 43

44. Causes of raised JVP
Right heart failure Constrictive pericarditis Superior vena cava obstruction Pericardial effusion Cardiac tamponade Tricuspid valve disease 44

45. Cardiac tamponade
Cardiac tamponade: the accumulation of fluid in the pericardium in an amount sufficient to cause serious obstruction to the inflow of blood to ventricle results in cardiac tamponade.
The three principal features of tamponade are:
1.elevation of intracardiac pressures
2.limitation of ventricular fillng
3.reduction of cardiac output

46. Beck triad: increased jugular venous pressure hypotension
diminished heart sounds

47. Thank you