If a blood pressure cuff is too big, the reading will be too :

If a blood pressure cuff is too big, the reading will be too :

• A. High
• B. Normal
• C. Unreliable
• D. Low

Answer: (D)

Using a cuff that is too large changes how accurately the device measures blood pressure. When the cuff is oversized, the bladder covers more of the arm than it should and the pressure needed to occlude the artery is not transmitted as effectively. That tends to produce a reading that is lower than the true blood pressure. So a cuff that's too big gives a low reading, rather than a high or normal one. An unreliable result can occur if the cuff size is off, but the typical direction of error with an oversized cuff is a falsely low measurement.

Using a cuff that is too large changes how accurately the device measures blood pressure. When the cuff is oversized, the bladder covers more of the arm than it should and the pressure needed to occlude the artery is not transmitted as effectively. That tends to produce a reading that is lower than the true blood pressure. So a cuff that's too big gives a low reading, rather than a high or normal one. An unreliable result can occur if the cuff size is off, but the typical direction of error with an oversized cuff is a falsely low measurement.