When obtaining a blood pressure reading, how high should a medical assistant inflate the cuff?

The recommended practice for inflating the blood pressure cuff is to inflate it to approximately 30 mm Hg above the previously measured radial pulse reading. This method ensures that the cuff is sufficiently inflated to occlude the brachial artery, allowing for an accurate measurement of both systolic and diastolic pressures.

By inflating the cuff to this level, the medical assistant captures a wide enough range to ensure the blood flow is completely stopped, which is necessary for obtaining accurate readings. This approach also helps to prevent discomfort for the patient, as inflating the cuff excessively high can be uncomfortable and may not contribute to better accuracy.

Choosing to inflate the cuff to the patient's systolic pressure would not be effective, as this value is not known until after the measurement is taken. Inflating the cuff to 20 mm Hg above the previous reading could result in inaccuracies if that reading was not sufficient to fully obstruct blood flow. Inflating the cuff to a fixed pressure of 120 mm Hg does not account for individual variations in systolic pressure and could lead to misreadings. Thus, the best practice involves using a measurement that accommodates individual differences, which is achieved by inflating the cuff 30 mm Hg above the radial pulse reading.