Given what you know about blood pressure at various locations in the circulatory system, what pressure is actually determined during a standard blood pressure measurement? Why is the arm the chosen location for determining blood pressure? Is there a more accurate way to determine blood pressure?
What will be an ideal response?
The pressure in the brachial artery is what is determined, but it is assumed to be very close to the pressure in the aorta, which is the desired information. The arm is chosen for proximity to the heart and convenience; farther from the heart in linear distance, the systolic pressure will be lower and the difference between systolic and diastolic will be less. A more accurate way to determine blood pressure in the aorta would be to place pressure sensors inside the vessel, though this is an invasive and unnecessary procedure given the reliability of the brachial pressure.
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What will be an ideal response?
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