The purpose of this assignment is to discuss blood pressure and its relationship to its contribution and relevance to contemporary professional nursing practice. Blood pressure as the force of the blood inside the blood vessel against the wall of the vessel. Systolic blood pressure is the peak pressure of the left ventricle contracting and blood entering the aorta, affecting its stretching, Marieb, E. N., & Hoehn, K. (2010). Diastolic pressure is when the aortic valve closes, blood flows up the aorta into the small vessels. When the aorta retracts, aortic blood pressure is at its lowest, this tends to reflect the resistance of the blood vessels, Marieb, E. N., & Hoehn, K. (2010). Hypotension is more common in adults when systolic blood pressure is less than 100 mmHg, Marieb, E. N., & Hoehn, K. (2010). This low blood pressure may indicate orthostatic hypotension. This is compensated by the baroreceptor reflex and the sympathetic nervous system, however in older patients this may work just as efficiently, Marieb, E. N., & Hoehn, K. (2010). Hypotension can be the cause of some other conditions such as hemorrhage, malnutrition and livestock, Marieb, E. N., & Hoehn, K. (2010). The problem with hypotension is that it can lead to reduced tissue perfusion, resulting in hypoxia and accumulation of waste products. Accurate blood pressure measurement is essential for early recognition of a patient's deteriorating condition; this should be accompanied by an appropriate response for early intervention, Department of Health (2000). Although recommendations for the use of manual blood pressure devices in situations where treatment decisions are made based on blood pressure readings, the use of automated machines is becoming increasingly common in… middle of paper. .. finding the correct size bracelet. If it is difficult to fit a large adult cuff or thigh cuff around the patient's arm, or if the correct size cuff is not available, the forearm should be used instead. Forearm blood pressure measurement is unreliable due to an error rate of 7 to 15 mm Hg. Due to this inaccuracy, forearm blood pressure measurement does not follow NICE (2011) guidelines. Blood pressure should not be measured in this way, however McFarlane, J (2012) stated that this is one of the few ways to measure blood pressure in obese individuals if the appropriate cuff is not available. Obese patients can be sensitive about their weight and are often too embarrassed to receive health care. This can be a cause for concern when choosing a thigh cuff, as the patient may consider it insensitive and disrespectful to their needs.