What does blood pressure measure?

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Prepare for the PLTW Biomedical Science Test. Study with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each question comes with hints and explanations. Get ready for your exam!

Multiple Choice

What does blood pressure measure?

Explanation:
Blood pressure measures the force that blood exerts on the walls of arteries as the heart beats and when it rests between beats. This force is highest when the heart contracts and pushes blood out (systolic pressure) and lower when the heart is relaxed (diastolic pressure). It isn’t a measure of how fast blood is flowing, how much oxygen is in the blood, or how many heartbeats occur per minute. Those relate to flow (cardiac output), oxygen content, and heart rate respectively. So the key idea is the measurement of force applied to artery walls.

Blood pressure measures the force that blood exerts on the walls of arteries as the heart beats and when it rests between beats. This force is highest when the heart contracts and pushes blood out (systolic pressure) and lower when the heart is relaxed (diastolic pressure). It isn’t a measure of how fast blood is flowing, how much oxygen is in the blood, or how many heartbeats occur per minute. Those relate to flow (cardiac output), oxygen content, and heart rate respectively. So the key idea is the measurement of force applied to artery walls.

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