High Blood Pressure In Nursing

High blood pressure, also known as Hypertension, is a sustained, elevated blood pressure of 140/90 or greater. This condition develops over many years. Blood pressure is determined by the amount of blood the heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in the arteries. The more blood the heart pumps, the narrower the arteries become and therefore causes a higher blood pressure. Uncontrolled hypertension can lead to serious complications such as heart attack and stroke. Essential Hypertension and Secondary Hypertension are the two different types of hypertension. Essential hypertension has no known identifiable cause and gradually develops over years. Secondary Hypertension may appear suddenly and cause higher blood pressure than essential hypertension. Secondary hypertension can be cause by a number of things. Some of these things include adrenal gland tumors, defects in blood vessels, …show more content…
It is important for nurses to follow doctor orders promptly. If IVs are ordered, nurses to need start an IV and monitor for any type of complications of the IV. One of the main things nurses can do to help maintain a healthy blood pressure is to constantly monitor the patients blood pressure and notify the physician if the patient has a systolic blood pressure greater than 160mm Hg or a diastolic blood pressure of 115mm Hg immediately. However, many doctors have different guidelines of what pressures they would like to be notified for. If able the nurse should also restrict client activity. One other important thing a nurse can do is treat symptoms as they occur to try and help with comfort. Teaching is a huge part of nursing and the nurses should make sure the client has plenty of knowledge on hypertension. Teaching clients how to alter lifestyles and take medications properly is one of the main things a nurse can do to help the hypertensive patient live a healthier and symptom free