“Recent studies show that about 65 percent of patients are falling to reduce their blood pressure to the acceptable range.” 16 Hypertension or arterial hypertension refers to high blood pressure (HTN) in the arteries. 3 In the United States 72 million adults are affected by hypertension. 6 Arteries are vessels that carry blood from the […]
Tag Archives: Diastolic
As a health care provider I am always asked about blood pressures and the significance of “the numbers” used in obtaining a blood pressure. I have found a vast variety in how individuals correlate and interpret “these numbers.” An understanding of what and how a blood pressure is obtained may help to clarify that. Accurate […]
29
Jun
Jun
People with known or suspected coronary artery disease frequently undergo myocardial perfusion imaging as part of the workup for disease and risk management. The stress versus rest gated SPECT myocardial perfusion scan is particularly useful because it evaluates overall physiologic function (exercise capacity), electrocardiographic changes with stress, left ventricular size, myocardial perfusion, and left ventricular […]
30
Apr
Apr
A recent clinical vignette in the New England Journal of Medicine touched upon the issue of what blood pressure numbers, i.e. the systolic (top number) and diastolic (bottom number) are considered too high. Traditionally, hypertension has been defined as either a systolic greater than 140 or a diastolic greater than 90. Though recently these cut-offs […]
Blood pressure, although usually measured in medical institutions using a device known as a sphygmomanometer in the brachial artery, is not usually well understood from a biological point of view. Understanding the controlling physiological forces behind blood pressure is an important part of understanding how the circulatory system and the human body work. Defining and […]