When should a medical assistant read the diastolic pressure during blood pressure measurement?

The diastolic pressure is determined when the sound completely disappears during blood pressure measurement. This phase corresponds to the lowest pressure in the arteries when the heart is at rest between beats. At this point, blood flows freely through the artery without causing any turbulence that generates sound.

In clinical practice, using a sphygmomanometer, the practitioner listens with a stethoscope as the cuff deflates. Initially, a sound is heard when the cuff pressure is equal to the systolic pressure, which is the peak pressure in the arteries during heart contraction. As the cuff pressure decreases, the sounds change until they eventually vanish. The moment when these sounds stop indicates that the diastolic pressure has been reached, allowing for an accurate assessment of both systolic and diastolic pressures essential for diagnosing conditions such as hypertension.

Understanding this process is crucial for accurately measuring blood pressure and recognizing the significance of both systolic and diastolic values in patient care.