In "Doc Blue's Emergency Medical Kit" write-up (www.aeromedix.com) Doctor Brent Blue states the following about taking blood pressure:

"In an emergency, it's not important to know a person's precise blood pressure -- all that's important is whether it's high, normal or low. If you can feel a pulse in the wrist or groin, the systolic pressure (top number) is at least 90, which is adequate. If the pulse can only be felt in the neck and not in the wrist or groin, the pressure is low -- probably in the 60 to 80 range (systolic). On the other hand, if a pulse is visible in the temple area or are very strong in the wrist -- and especially if accompanied by headache -- blood pressure is probably high. For first aid purposes, a general determination of B.P. as being high, normal or low is all that is needed. You don't need a sphygmomanometer and stethoscope for that."

As a first aid instructor, I've always taught (and been taught) that high blood pressure has no visible signs or symptoms, and that the only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to have it checked by a professional. How correct/incorrect is the above advice? Can you really tell if someone has high blood pressure by watching their temporal artery to see if it's visibly pulsating?

(I would agree that for emergency purposes, taking BP is probably not that important, as there's not a lot a first aider can do about it.)

The presence of pulses in the wrist (radial), neck (carotid) and groin (femoral) are good guidelines when checking for signs of shock, generally part of the Basic Trauma Life Support (BTLS) survey. Taking a BP is usually part of the secondary survey and in many cases not worth taking the time during a trauma situation. Always check for pluse presence bilaterally.

I would not use the presence of a pulse or pulsation of the temporal artery for hypertension detection. A series of BPs is a much better indicator. As you have said for Basic First Aid, hypertension is not generally treatable and best left to other health care providers.

While it is true that many of the signs and symptoms (S&S) are silent in cases of hypertension and is commonly referred to as the silent killer. Many individuals experience frequent headaches, dizziness and other S&S that are the result of the damage the hypertension is causing in other organs. Pete

Pete;

Thanks for the response. That confirms what I've been taught elsewhere.