Both of your patient’s arms should be exposed. Any sleeves should be rolled up loosely and out of the way.
If possible, use a blood pressure cuff that has a width that is approximately two-thirds of the length of the patient’s arm.
Make sure that you have the right sized cuff for your patient. The width of the cuff should be slightly wider than the diameter of the lower leg.
Example: The systolic blood pressure of the left ankle is 120 and the systolic blood pressure of the arm is 100. 120/100=1. 20.
An ABI of less than 0. 4 suggests severe peripheral arterial disease. The patient may develop non-healing ulcer or gangrene. An ABI of 0. 41-0. 90 indicates mild to moderate peripheral artery disease and warrants further tests like CT, MRI, or angiography. An ABI of 0. 91-1. 30 indicates normal vessels. However, a value between 0. 9-0. 99 may cause pain during exercise. An ABI >1. 3 indicates non-compressible and severely calcified vessels that artificially raise the blood pressure. Long standing diabetes or chronic kidney disease may lead to this state.
