BLOOD PRESSURE

Meeting 4
By
Yulia Sari Harahap, S.Pd, M.Hum
BLOOD PRESSURE
 Blood pressure refers to the pressure of the blood within the
arteries. When the left ventricle of the heart contracts, blood
is forced out into the aorta and travels through the large
arteries to the smaller arteries, arterioles, and capillaries.
When the left ventricle contracts and pumps blood into the
aorta, force is exerted on the arterial wall. This force is
referred to as systolic pressure. When the heart is in the
process of filling, the ventricle relaxes. The change in arterial
pressure that results as the ventricle relaxes is called the
diastolic pressure.
 Blood pressure is assessed using a sphygmomanometer. This
piece of equipment is commonly called a blood pressure cuff
or cuff. Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury
(Hg). It is usually stated as a fraction—systolic over diastolic—
as in 110 over 70. It is also written in fraction form, 110/70.
READING EXERCISES
 As you increase your English vocabulary of
both medical and common terms used in the
healthcare setting, you will increase your
ability to answer specific questions as well as
to have a general understanding of the
meaning of a reading passage or
conversation.
 Understanding the General Meaning.
 Read the text again. Think about it. Do you
understand it? What is the topic of the text?
 _____________________________________
 Building Vocabulary
 Take a moment now to review what you have just
read. Jot down any words that you do not yet
understand. Refer to this list throughout the section
to see if you can discover the meaning from the
exercises.
 _____________________________________
 Determining Meaning from Context. To build your vocabulary of medical terms, study the
following words or terms taken from this text. Notice that seemingly common words are being
used slightly differently in the medical context. Study this and then choose the correct
meaning. Finally, take a look at how these words or terms expand in English.
 1. Pressure (noun)
 In context:
 a) Physical activity causes the heart to work under pressure.
 b) Blood moving through the arteries flows under pressure.
 Meaning:
 The term pressure is best described as
 a) stress or force exerted on a body by tension, weight, or pulling
 b) pulse is running too fast
 c) circulation
 d) congestive heart failure
 Word expansion:
 a) The nurse pressed down on the wound to help stop the bleeding. (verb, past tense)
 b) After scuba diving in very deep waters, the swimmer had to be depressurized in a special
tank. (verb)
 c) Atmospheric pressure is the weight of the atmosphere. (noun)
 d) Diastolic pressure is arterial pressure during dilatation of the heart chambers. (noun; used
with adjective “diastolic,” it is a term identifying a specific variable)
 e) The air was pressurized in the cabin of the spacecraft. (verb, past tense)
 2. Reflects (verb)
 In context:
 a) The mirror reflects my lovely image.
 Meaning:
 The word reflects means
 a) turning back on itself
 b) bending your knee
 c) having your eyes examined
 d) massage therapy
 Word expansion:
 a) The reflection I see in the mirror in the morning isn’t pretty. (noun)
 b) Water is reflected off the skin. (verb, past tense).
 3. Force (noun)
 In context:
 a) I must exert some force to move this table.
 b) He punched the other man with a great deal of force.
 Meaning:
 The word force can best be described as
 a) lack of strength
 b) pincers for holding things in surgery
 c) use of a certain amount of strength and energy
 d) a part of your skin
 Word expansion:
 a) Dr. Jacobs is very forceful when he gives orders. (adjective)
 b) Forcing the elbow to bend will only injure it. (gerund, used as noun, subject of sentence)
 c) He forced his way into the house with the intent of robbery. (verb, past tense)
 4. Relaxation (noun)
 In context
 a) The muscle is no longer in contraction, it is in relaxation.
 b) I am so glad I don’t have a cramp and the muscle finally relaxed.
 Meaning:
 Relaxation means
 a) a lessening of tension or activity of a part
 b) sleeping all day
 c) abduction d) painful
 Word expansion:
 a) If I think about it, I can relax the muscles in my shoulders. (verb,
present tense)
 b) Having a foot massage is very relaxing. (adjective)
 c) You may need physiotherapy to relax the muscle in your arm and
open up the elbow. (verb, infinitive)
USING NEW WORDS TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. USE VOCABULARY IN
THE READINGS ABOUT THE ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM AND BLOOD PRESSURE TO ANSWER THESE
QUESTIONS. USE FULL SENTENCES.

 1) What must contract before blood can flow into the blood
vessels?
 _____________________________________
 2) How is blood forced out of the heart and into circulation?
 _____________________________________
 3) To take a pulse, palpate the veins. To take a blood pressure,
locate and listen to what?
 _____________________________________