Did you know that high blood pressure is the number one risk factor for stroke and a major risk factor for heart disease?

Well on May 15, 2019 our 1st year RRC nursing students sure knew this and wanted to help out their fellow community members here at RRC by hosting a walk-in blood pressure (BP) and pulse (P) checks service. The nursing students did an excellent job, under the supervision of an R.N., of obtaining blood pressure results.

It was wonderful to see that so many people here at RRC took the opportunity and came out to find out what their BP & P readings were. High blood pressure is another name for Hypertension. People often refer to it as the silent killer as someone can have high blood pressure and be asymptomatic.

According to the heart and stroke foundation of Canada (2018):

• High blood pressure is when the blood pressure in your arteries is elevated and your heart has to work harder than normal to pump blood through the blood vessels.

• Blood pressure is a measure of the pressure or force of blood against the walls of your blood vessels (known as arteries). Your blood pressure reading is based on two measures called systolic and diastolic. The systolic (top) number is the measure of the pressure force when your heart contracts and pushes out the blood. The diastolic (bottom) number is the measure of when your heart relaxes between beats.

The table below defines varying blood pressure categories: low risk, medium risk, high risk. See your doctor, healthcare provider, or the 1st year RRC nursing students to get a proper blood pressure measurement.

BLOOD PRESSURE CATEGORIES

Category: Systolic/Diastolic (top number/bottom number)
Low risk: 120 / 80
Medium risk: 121-139 / 80 – 89
High risk: 140+ / 90

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Blog written by Stacy Kutcher with information taken from the Heart and Stroke foundation of Canada (2018) website.

Pictures taken by Stacy Kutcher.