Start practicing

Medical Emergencies · single question

If the cuff of a blood pressure monitor is damaged or too narrow for the patient's arm, how is the measurement affected?

  1. Only the systolic reading rises
  2. Both systolic and diastolic readings are falsely elevated
  3. Only the diastolic reading falls
  4. Both systolic and diastolic readings are falsely lowered
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: B. Both systolic and diastolic readings are falsely elevated

  • A. The error affects both values, not systolic alone.
  • B. Correct. A damaged, under-inflating or undersized cuff requires MORE pressure to occlude the brachial artery, so both systolic and diastolic values read FALSELY HIGH. The same error occurs with a cuff that is too narrow or too short for the arm circumference — a very common cause of spurious hypertension readings in larger patients. A cuff that is too large produces the opposite, falsely low, error.
  • C. Diastolic is also falsely elevated, not reduced.
  • D. Falsely low readings come from an oversized cuff or from placing the arm above heart level.

Practice Medical Emergencies questions Medical Emergencies study notes

More Medical Emergencies practice questions