The nurse is helping another nurse to take a blood pressure reading on a patient's thigh. Which action is correct regarding thigh pressure?
a. Either the popliteal or femoral vessels should be auscultated to obtain a thigh pressure.
b. The best position to measure thigh pressure is the supine position with the knee slightly bent.
c. If the blood pressure in the arm is high in an adolescent, then it should be compared with the thigh pressure.
d. The thigh pressure is lower than the pressure in the arm, which is attributable to the distance away from the heart and the size of the popliteal vessels.
ANS: C
When blood pressure measured at the arm is excessively high, particularly in adolescents and young adults, it is compared with thigh pressure to check for coarctation of the aorta. The popliteal artery is auscultated for the reading. Generally, thigh pressure is higher than that of the arm; however, if coarctation of the artery is present, then arm pressures are higher than thigh pressures.
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