Lab 5.4 BP and cardiac health

Blood pressure and cardiac health

Lab 5.4

Anatomy & Physiology

Part 1
The gender gap in heart health

Open Ended

Based just on your previous knowledge, what are one or two signs that a person might be having a heart attack?

Open Ended

The clip is from an episode of Grey's Anatomy. The woman trying to check herself into the hospital is Dr. Bailey. She believes that she is having a heart attack. What symptoms is she presenting with? (Note: These symptoms are very common in women but not men having a heart attack.)

Open Ended

This scene might seem a bit melodramatic, but it's based on the lived experiences of many women, and especially women of color. Women are less likely to seek help when they feel ill, less likely to be correctly diagnosed with a heart condition, less likely to be offered medication to ensure heart health or to reduce pain, less likely to receive follow up care after a cardiac event, and more likely to die of cardiovascular disease.

* * *

Identify TWO potential interventions that the medical community might undertake to treat men and women more equitably when it comes to cardiovascular care. You might consider what is taught in medical schools, what training hospital personnel or pharmacists receive, what medical policies are enacted, etc.

Part 2
What is blood pressure?

Visit The Anatomy of Blood Pressure website. It's an interactive, and you can navigate through it. As you go, answer the questions below.

Drag and Drop

Blood pressure is exerted on the arteries that carry ​

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blood through the body. 

 

​

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arteries are the largest and closest to the heart. The aorta is the largest of these. ​

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arteries are smaller. ​

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widens these smaller arteries and lowers blood pressure. ​

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narrows these smaller arteries, which increases blood pressure.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

oxygenated

Elastic

deoxygenated

Inelastic

Muscular

Vasodilation

Vasoconstriction

Visit The Blood Pressure Test website. It's also an interactive, and you can navigate through it. As you go, answer the questions below.

Drag and Drop

A blood pressure test measures the pressure exerted on artery walls by the blood flowing through them. The units of pressure are ​

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. 

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millimeters of mercury (mm Hg)

atmospheres (atm)

psi

bars

pascals (Pa)

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Systolic pressure measures the force created when the ​

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contracts to pump blood out to the body. It's the ​

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number. Diastolic pressure measures the force recorded when that same heart region relaxes and fills up with ​

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again.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

left ventricle

top

blood

bottom

right ventricle

oxygen

Continue on in the interactive to learn about how to record a patient's blood pressure.

Reorder

Put the steps of the blood pressure test in order, with the first step at the left. Note: You can follow along with the interactive - don't click next, but follow the on-screen instructions instead!

• Squeeze the bulb to inflate the cuff

• As the cuff inflates, the needle on the gauge reaches 200 or higher

• Turn the valve to deflate the cuff

• The needle on the gauge slowly falls as the cuff deflates and pressure on the brachial artery is released.

1

2

3

4

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4

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As soon as the pressure is released, it's important to LISTEN for the pulse and WATCH the gauge.

 

As soon as the pulse can be heard, the pressure on the gauge is the ​

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reading. Pressure continues to leave the cuff, and the needle reads smaller and smaller values. As soon as the pulse sound stops, this is the ​

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reading. 

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

systolic

diastolic

Part 3
Practice reading blood pressure

Let's try some practice!

You'll need to both WATCH the gauge and LISTEN for the starting and stopping of the pulse. Complete at least three of the eight drills, until you feel comfortable recording both systolic and diastolic values.

When you're ready, go to the next page

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Part 4
The real real

Visit a lab station. You'll want to team up with at least two other students at this point.

Start by checking out the stethoscope. Use the video on the next page to familiarize yourself with the correct procedure for using it. 

Next, check out the sphygmomanometer. Use the video on the next page to learn the correct procedure for measuring blood pressure.

Your turn! Make sure that everyone in your group who wants to has the chance to measure another group member's blood pressure. It is not required that you measure blood pressure, nor that you have your blood pressure measured, if you choose not to.