Abstract

A "before-after" type experimental study was conducted to find an advantageous time to record baseline blood pressure readings on preoperative patients, which could be referred to following surgery and interpreted as representative of normal for the patients. A review of medical and nursing literature revealed that there is a need to established a blood pressure reading indicative of normal for each patient prior to surgery. Because literature substantiated its acceptance, the ausculatory method of taking indirect arterial blood pressure readings was the technique utilized in this study. Sixty conveniently selected general elective surgical patients, twenty-five to forty-five years of age, all of whom were admitted in the afternoon of the day prior to their surgery were included in this study. Blood pressures which had been taken on each patient at the time of admission by the nursing personnel were recorded for comparison with systolic measurements taken by the investigator within one and one-half to three hours later. Additional information collected on each patient included age, sex, weight, height and type of room. The total data were mechanically processed to yield mean values and correlations among the variables. The findings were analyzed and conclusions drawn. Although conclusions were based upon a limited sample, the following trends were indicated: (1) Over ninety-five percent of the patients have higher systolic blood pressure readings on admission when compared to readings taken later; (2) blood pressures taken later show less variance in range for the total group of patients than blood pressure readings taken on admission; (3) a direct relationship exists between the extent to which a patient's systolic blood pressure is elevated at the time of his hospital admission, and the amount of change observed in a blood pressure taken later. The hypothesis that systolic blood pressure readings taken on elective surgical patients within one and one-half to three hours after admission will show a statistically significant difference when compared to the readings taken at the time of admission may be accepted. A mean difference between the two readings of 16.5 millimeters of mercury was found for the total group. This finding is significant at the .01 level, thus may be expected to occur only one time out of a hundred as a result of chance. Because statistically significant variations in the compared blood pressure readings were found, it does not necessarily follow that the findings were clinically important. However, statements in the literature suggested that allowance for error in the ausculatory method of measurement be limited to a maximum of ± eight millimeters of mercury. Since the mean change of the study group was 8.5 millimeters beyond the ± eight millimeters allowed for method error, it was noted that the blood pressure reading variance for patients in the study may have been of critical clinical value. The clinical significance of any variation in blood pressure would be dependent upon the physical status of individual patients. In view of the findings, it is recommended that an advantageous time to take the baseline blood pressure on elective surgical patients is within one and one-half to three hours after admission.

LLU Discipline

Nursing

Department

Nursing

School

Graduate School

First Advisor

Winifred M. Edwards

Second Advisor

Matilda Anabelle Mills

Third Advisor

Charleene W. Riffel

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Level

M.S.

Year Degree Awarded

1965

Date (Title Page)

6-1965

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Blood Pressure; Preoperative Care

Type

Thesis

Page Count

vii; 62

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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