When you bring a patient's blood pressure for the first time you should compare both sides. Why?
Answers:
The BP should be similar on both upper extremities. If there is a significant difference it may be a sign of a vascular problem like coarctation of the aorta in which the aorta is narrowed and smaller amount blood flow goes to the extremity causing a lower BP on that side. Source(s): PA
The reason for doing this is to donate yourself and the patient a lot of unnecessary worry. It is in actuality very common to observe unequal pressures for adjectives sorts of reasons: one arm bigger and more muscular than the other, the blood pressure goes up and down naturally, and if you preserve on measuring the blood pressure the patient will get anxious anyway. Pathology which cause seriously unequal blood pressures in the arms is rare. Even coarctation of the aorta, which is usually trotted out as an excuse, is seldom the cause, since coarctation, which itself is once in a blue moon first detected in adults, usually happens after the subclavian arteries, and causes low blood pressure within the feet rather than unequal pressures in the arms. Subclavian or brachial artery stenosis coming out of the blue is as in danger of extinction as hen's teeth, though it does happen after injury.
In short, don't bother to do it routinely. If the blood pressure first measured is normal, don't bother to measure it again unless here is some other very good reason Source(s): http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/15…
http://en.allexperts.com/q/Hypertension-…
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/blood-p…
http://www.labmeeting.com/paper/20998108…
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