Factors Affecting Blood Pressure

Terms Bank:
Baroreceptors Pressure
Cardiac Output volume of blood
pumped by the heart per minute;
CO = SV x HR
Stroke Volume volume of blood
pumped by the heart per beat
What is blood pressure?
Pressure exerted by the blood upon
the walls of blood vessels.
There are two main factors that affect
Arterial Blood Pressure:
A. Cardiac Output
B. Peripheral Resistance

Peripheral Resistance
- away from the heart
Dependent of diameters of blood
vessels
a. Vasoconstriction - Resistance,
BP
b. Vasodilation - Resistance, BP
Atherosclerosis will lower diameter of
blood vessels, Resistance BP
Arteriosclerosis will harden the blood
vessel walls, Resistance BP
Blood
Viscosity

Viscosity
Resistance BP
*Dehydration
will
cause
Hematocrit Viscosity
Cardiac Output
a. Stroke Volume the higher the
SV, the higher the BP
CO = SV x HR
Partery Pveins = (SV x HR) x Resistance

Blood Volume
- Stimulates
the
sympathetic
nervous system which will
produce
vasoconstriction;
Resistance BP
- Stimulates ADH to conserve
water,
increasing
Stroke
Volume; CO BP
Miscellaneous Factors
a. Exercise
b. Posture changes
c. Diet

Change in Position
- Blood pressure also reacts to
changes in position
- Gravity can affect how blood
circulates
Procedure:
Measure BP and Pulse Rate in
different positions (Sitting down,
Reclining, and Standing)
Theoretical Results:
Sitting Down
Reclining

Standard BP
Lower than Std
BP
Immediate Standing
Decreased
Up
initially, then
increased BP
Standing for
Decreased BP
3minutes
from the
increased BP
Sitting down with the arm at the level
of your heart is the ideal position to
take the BP.
Reclining position relieves stress on
the blood vessels to carry the blood
from the lower part of the body
upward.
Immediate Standing Up will decrease
the BP initially because of the
gravitational pull which will cause
the blood to be pooled at the lower
extremities and will increase as
vasoconstriction from the activation
of SNS will increase BP.
*Orthostatic Hypotension dizziness
and light headedness due to low
blood pressure because of the abrupt
change in posture

Standing for 3 minutes will decrease

the BP as SNS activity will be
decreased.

Harvard Step
- Cardiac Stress Test
- Measures recovery after a
strenuous exercise
Procedure:
*Principle is bench stepping
1. Place dominant foot to the
bench and using your heel,
2. Place the other foot to stand up
in the bench then
3. Go down by stepping down the
dominant foot followed by the other
one
4. Repeat until end point is
reached
*end point process is done already
for 5minutes; subject is unable to
continue; the subject cant keep up
the pace of 2-second cycles.
Index = duration of exercise in secs x
100
2 x sum of the 3 pulse counts
(recovery)

Theoretical Results:
Exercise
will
increase
blood
pressure and pulse rate. Increase is

due to the increase of Cardiac

Output which is greater than the
decrease in peripheral resistance
due to dilation of vessels.

Diastolic pressure is expected to

have little to no change as it
reflects the hearts relaxation. (No
change = totally healthy)