A client is admitted to the unit with an order for hourly monitoring of blood pressure. The patient care technician finds that the cuff is too small. This will cause the blood pressure reading to be:

Question

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Using a cuff that is too small will cause the blood pressure reading to be higher than what it should be. In obtaining the blood pressure it is important to select the proper size blood pressure cuff (sphygmomanometer). The cuff should fit 40% of the upper arm (if cuff is too small, the reading will be falsely high; if too large, the reading will be a false low reading).

A Client Is Admitted to the Unit with an Order