Medical question

[tamaranth]

Quick medical question: what does it mean when the two figures of a blood-pressure reading (systolic and diastolic) are the same? For example, if I have a BP of 94/94?

Comments

[easterbunny.livejournal.com]

From howstuffworks.com:

"There are two numbers in a blood pressure reading: systolic and diastolic. For example, a typical reading might be 120/80. When the doctor puts the cuff around your arm and pumps it up, what he/she is doing is cutting off the blood flow with the pressure exerted by the cuff. As the pressure in the cuff is released, blood starts flowing again and the doctor can hear the flow in the stethoscope. The number at which blood starts flowing (120) is the measure of the maximum output pressure of the heart (systolic reading). The doctor continues releasing the pressure on the cuff and listens until there is no sound. That number (80) indicates the pressure in the system when the heart is relaxed (diastolic reading)."

So I guess if the numbers are the same, then the maximum pressure your heart can exert is the same as the pressure it exists when you're relaxed. Or the machine you're using is a little wonky. (I had mine taken this morning, so blood pressure is on the brain.)

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

Yes, but is it a good thing? Current state indicates not: but am sick (ahahahaha) of being treated like a hypochondriac by whichever GP I happen to get an appointment with ...

[easterbunny.livejournal.com]

Disclaimer: I have NO medical qualifications whatsoever and the very thought of going to the doctor makes me feel faint, but my initial reaction (let's call it an "engineering reaction to pressure systems" to avoid any queasiness) would be that having the numbers the same would not be a good thing - I would have thought that you'd want the heart to be able to deliver higher pressure if you're in an adrenaline rush situation (running for a train, after a cat, from a smelly creep). Having both numbers the same seems unusal, which is why I'd check the machine or get a second reading. The nurse usually has to take mine twice since the first time I'm usually stressed about leaving my car in a ticket-prone street and being at the doctor's office, and this causes her to frown in a "28 year olds should not have a BP of seven zillion over 157" sort of way. Second time it's usually more reasonable.

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

OK, several hours and several cups of coffee after previous reading: it is now 112/103. Still horribly similar. Would go to doctor, but reaction seems to depend on some arcane factor unconnected with reading or medical history: last time I was told there was nothing wrong with me, maybe coming down with a cold; time before that it was 'dangerously high, not sure you should be flying to Denmark tomorrow'. And there's the long wait, and / or fight with receptionist ...

[birdsflying]

Perhaps ring NHS direct? They can normally answer questions.

[zotz]

The most obvious thing it would mean is that your heart's not beating. You might want to check on that bit, although I'm fairly sure it won't be the case. If the systolic pressure's no higher than the diastolic pressure, then the heart won't be pushing any blood out into the aorta.

To put it a different way, if that's the measurement then I'd have the sphyg checked. I would really suspect it was borked.

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

I don't feel very dead. Surely I would have noticed?

As BP monitor has now died altogether, cannot help but feel that its final readings may have been (a) suspect and (b) pertaining to itself. But suspect there is a problem with my BP, even though I am still moving around: was yoyoing last summer, and has been (according to unreliable monitor) all over the place ever since.

*girds loins, and other bits, for trip to GP*

[zotz]

Surely I would have noticed?

You may have a point there.

But suspect there is a problem with my BP, even though I am still moving around:

Yeah. Could be. It could have been accurate right up until the obviously mad reading you noticed.

[latexiron.livejournal.com]

The high pressure (sys) is when your heart beats, the low pressure (dia) is when it is relaxed, and just about to beat again. For them both to be the same, you need to have zero bloodflow, i.e. your heart has stopped and you are therefore a zombie.

So the question you need to ask yourself is...

Do I fancy some raw brains?

If yes, you are definately a zombie and should stay away from me. I'm a computer contractor and we have no brains.

If no, then you are not a zombie, not dead, and you should consider that your sphygmanometer is buggered.

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

It all depends on who the raw brains used to belong to. You're quite safe, though: evidence (http://www.livejournal.com/users/latexiron/315727.html) suggests that yours are not all that fresh. Also, I would never eat the brains of anyone who couldn't spell 'definitely' unless I was really hungry.

[tamaranth.livejournal.com]

actually, further consideration of evidence suggests that yours are not exactly raw, either.

[pmcmurray.livejournal.com]

Glad you're not dead...

There are two really useful NHS websites, see http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/ and http://www.besttreatments.co.uk/ Neither of them seemed to say much about your condition, which I would tend to treat as a "get advice immediately" sort of thing. I feel it's better to panic needlessly and waste a couple of hours at the doctors or in an A&E rather than the alternative.

[spride.livejournal.com]

As others have said, it means your sphygmomanometer is buggered.

[tanais.livejournal.com]

that seems unlikely -- just like the heart rate monitor on the bike machine at the gym insisted today I had a BPM reading of 7 whereas the pounding in my head said it was about 150BPM A shame I'd love to be Mr Sooper Cool, however at 7 BPM I'd be rather dead (mebbe the lizard brain would still function though)...

In short your hardware's unreliable...

(incidentally I always thought a really retro blood pressure reader would by making a pinprick in the jugular and measuring the arc of the curve as the blood spurts out... am I sick and wrong or just a misunderstood genius?)