Anesthesia Technician Practice Exam

What can result from using a blood pressure cuff that is too small?

1. A false low reading

2. A false high reading

3. An accurate reading

4. No impact on the reading

The correct answer is: A false high reading

Using a blood pressure cuff that is too small can indeed lead to a false high reading. This occurs because the smaller cuff needs to exert more pressure to compress the underlying arteries adequately compared to a properly sized cuff. As a result, when the cuff inflates, it can restrict blood flow more than intended, which can cause the readings to show a higher systolic pressure than actually exists. It’s essential for accurate blood pressure measurement that the cuff size is appropriate for the patient’s arm circumference. In contrast, using a cuff that is too large would typically lead to a false low reading, as it would not effectively compress the artery to the necessary degree. Hence, proper sizing is critical for obtaining accurate blood pressure measurements.