Blood Pressure in Numbers

Blood Pressure: What's in a Number? The term high blood pressure is now almost common place within the English language, and if you were to ask someone if they knew what high blood pressure was the likelihood is that they could probably tell you what it may lead to....but would they actually know the numbers?

Within the UK population it is estimated that approximately 10million people suffer from high blood pressure....that's one person in every five. So what is high blood pressure?

The easiest way to think about how high blood pressure occurs is to visualise the heart as a “pump”. The heart pumps blood through our arteries and out into our muscles and organs, and as with all pumps, this is achieved by generating pressure. Therefore if there is too much pressure put on the heart this can cause arteries to rupture and the heart to fail under the strain.

Your blood pressure therefore depends on a combination of two factors and these are how forcefully the heart pumps blood around your body and how relaxed, or narrow, your arteries are. When blood is forced through your arteries at an increased pressure then hypertension occurs.

So, what is high blood pressure?

Whether you have had your measurement taken by your local GP or whether you have one of the many blood pressure monitors that are available to be used at home, you may recall seeing two numbers on the screen. These two figures relate to the systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Systolic blood pressure is the maximum pressure in the arteries when the heart beats (contracts|) and pushes blood out into the body;

Diastolic blood pressure is the minimum pressure in the arteries between beats when the heart relaxes to fill up with blood.

A typically normal blood pressure reading is quoted as 120 over 80, which means your systolic blood pressure reading is 120, whilst the diastolic reading is 80. There are various factors that need to be taken into account when you are measuring your blood pressure and these include:

•  You should take more than one measurement to obtain an accurate figure;

•  You should try and take your blood pressure at the same time each day

•  You should try and be rested for at least 5 minutes before taking your blood pressure

•  You should avoid eating or exercise immediately prior to taking your reading

You should also be aware that when having your blood pressure taken at the doctors you can suffer from “white coat hypertension” which in effect means that you may give a slightly higher reading because you become anxious of the environment you are in.

So we know the target number 120 over 80, what is classed as a high blood pressure reading? In general terms if your reading is consistently over 160 and/or your diastolic pressure is over 100 then you should consult your doctor.

What if your reading is lower, surely the lower the better....WRONG. People with slightly lower blood pressure for example 140 over 90 may also need treatment. It is essential that if you are at all worried about the reading that you get from measuring your blood pressure you should consult your Doctor immediately.

Don't risk your health...make sure you monitor your blood pressure and know your numbers!

The First Aid Warehouse specializes in the supply of first aid equipment and diagnostic products to both the public and trade. They offer an extensive range of products including professional and home blood pressure monitors.

With a wealth of industry knowledge, their online e-commerce platform provides a safe and secure environment to purchase from. They accept all major credit and debit cards and welcome orders from members of the public and health organisations including Primary Care Trusts, Care Homes, Surgeries, schools etc. If you wish to set up a business account, you can contact them either via sales@firstaidwarehouse.co.uk or on 0845 6121217

RESOURCES:

This article is brought to you by First Aid Warehouse, UK's premier supplier of medical furniture, burnshield dressings, medical equipment, first aid kits , blood pressure monitors , medical plasters and stethoscopes.

Please feel free to visit any of our partner websites below:

http://www.firstaidwarehouse.co.uk

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Everything About Medical Plasters

Fabric, Washproof, Blue, Spot, Strips....I Just Want A Plaster!!!

If you surf online or look at the supermarket shelves the variety of plasters that are available can become a very complicated affair. There are different materials, shapes and sizes and all claiming to be the best...but just where did the first plaster come from?

Well to trace the heritage of the modern day plaster you have to go back to 1920 when Earle Dickinson invented the first adhesive bandage. At the time Earle Dickinson was a cotton buyer for Johnson & Johnson and the story goes that his wife was “not very adept in the kitchen”. She was always cutting herself in the kitchen and because applying gauze pads and adhesive tape was difficult to do on her own, she often summoned her husband to complete the task.

Johnson & Johnson, the company Earle was working for, had been making sterile dressings and adhesive tapes for decades, but nobody had ever put the two together. Dickson affixed squares of the cotton gauze to a long strip of tape and covered the whole thing in crinoline, which helped to stop the adhesive tape sticking to itself. Mrs Dickson could now simply cut a piece from the strip, peel off the crinoline and bandage her wound.

Not that the first years sales were ground breaking, but over the next few years the product became more streamlined and grew into what everyone now knows as Band Aid –selling over 100billion over the last 80 years.

Nowadays the plaster has progressed into many different ranges, materials, sizes and colours and some of these are a legal requirement to stock. For example the blue detectable range of plasters are specifically designed for the catering industry and are required under the Food Hygiene Regulations Act that when handling or preparing food blue detectable plasters should be used on all cuts and grazes.

Washproof plasters offer a water resistant and ventilated adhesive plaster which helps to provide discreet protection when you don't want the plaster to be seen, whereas fabric plasters are made from a breathable material that improves healing time and reduces the risk of further infection.

So that's Blue detectable, washproof and fabric...but what's this hypo-allergenic type? A hypo-allergenic plaster is a latex free adhesive plaster which reduces the risk of an allergic reaction.

The First Aid Warehouse specializes in the supply of first aid equipment and diagnostic products to both the public and trade. They offer an extensive range of products including washproof, fabric and blue detectable plasters.

With a wealth of industry knowledge, their online e-commerce platform provides a safe and secure environment to purchase from. They accept all major credit and debit cards and welcome orders from members of the public and health organisations including Primary Care Trusts, Care Homes, Surgeries, schools etc. If you wish to set up a business account, you can contact them either via sales@firstaidwarehouse.co.uk or on 0845 6121217

 

RESOURCES:

This article is brought to you by First Aid Warehouse, UK's premier supplier of medical equipment medical plasters , blood pressure monitors, first aid kits , medical furniture, burnshield dressings and stethoscopes . We supply equipment to medical professionals, the care industry and the general public

 

Please feel free to visit any of our partner websites below:

http://www.firstaidwarehouse.co.uk

http://www.laskys.com/tv_and_dvd/lcd_tvs/?cm_mmc=seo-_-article-_-may-_-lcd_tvs

http://www.summitmedia.co.uk

Fabric, Washproof, Blue, Spot, Strips....I Just Want A Plaster!!!

If you surf online or look at the supermarket shelves the variety of plasters that are available can become a very complicated affair. There are different materials, shapes and sizes and all claiming to be the best...but just where did the first plaster come from?

Well to trace the heritage of the modern day plaster you have to go back to 1920 when Earle Dickinson invented the first adhesive bandage. At the time Earle Dickinson was a cotton buyer for Johnson & Johnson and the story goes that his wife was “not very adept in the kitchen”. She was always cutting herself in the kitchen and because applying gauze pads and adhesive tape was difficult to do on her own, she often summoned her husband to complete the task.

Johnson & Johnson, the company Earle was working for, had been making sterile dressings and adhesive tapes for decades, but nobody had ever put the two together. Dickson affixed squares of the cotton gauze to a long strip of tape and covered the whole thing in crinoline, which helped to stop the adhesive tape sticking to itself. Mrs Dickson could now simply cut a piece from the strip, peel off the crinoline and bandage her wound.

Not that the first years sales were ground breaking, but over the next few years the product became more streamlined and grew into what everyone now knows as Band Aid –selling over 100billion over the last 80 years.

Nowadays the plaster has progressed into many different ranges, materials, sizes and colours and some of these are a legal requirement to stock. For example the blue detectable range of plasters are specifically designed for the catering industry and are required under the Food Hygiene Regulations Act that when handling or preparing food blue detectable plasters should be used on all cuts and grazes.

Washproof plasters offer a water resistant and ventilated adhesive plaster which helps to provide discreet protection when you don't want the plaster to be seen, whereas fabric plasters are made from a breathable material that improves healing time and reduces the risk of further infection.

So that's Blue detectable, washproof and fabric...but what's this hypo-allergenic type? A hypo-allergenic plaster is a latex free adhesive plaster which reduces the risk of an allergic reaction.

The First Aid Warehouse specializes in the supply of first aid equipment and diagnostic products to both the public and trade. They offer an extensive range of products including washproof, fabric and blue detectable plasters.

With a wealth of industry knowledge, their online e-commerce platform provides a safe and secure environment to purchase from. They accept all major credit and debit cards and welcome orders from members of the public and health organisations including Primary Care Trusts, Care Homes, Surgeries, schools etc. If you wish to set up a business account, you can contact them either via sales@firstaidwarehouse.co.uk or on 0845 6121217

 

RESOURCES:

This article is brought to you by First Aid Warehouse, UK's premier supplier of medical equipment medical plasters , blood pressure monitors, first aid kits , medical furniture, burnshield dressings and stethoscopes . We supply equipment to medical professionals, the care industry and the general public

 

Please feel free to visit any of our partner websites below:

http://www.firstaidwarehouse.co.uk

http://www.laskys.com/tv_and_dvd/lcd_tvs/?cm_mmc=seo-_-article-_-may-_-lcd_tvs

http://www.summitmedia.co.uk