In a blood pressure reading, which number represents systolic pressure?

In a blood pressure reading, which number represents systolic pressure?

• A. The first number
• B. The second number
• C. Both numbers
• D. The mean arterial pressure

Answer: (A)

Systolic pressure is the pressure in the arteries when the heart contracts and ejects blood into the circulation. In a reading written as a fraction, the first number represents this peak pressure. The second number is diastolic pressure, the pressure when the heart is relaxed between beats. A separate calculated value, mean arterial pressure, estimates the average arterial pressure over the cardiac cycle and isn’t one of the two numbers shown. So, in 120/80 mmHg, 120 is the systolic pressure, and 80 is the diastolic pressure.

Systolic pressure is the pressure in the arteries when the heart contracts and ejects blood into the circulation. In a reading written as a fraction, the first number represents this peak pressure. The second number is diastolic pressure, the pressure when the heart is relaxed between beats. A separate calculated value, mean arterial pressure, estimates the average arterial pressure over the cardiac cycle and isn’t one of the two numbers shown. So, in 120/80 mmHg, 120 is the systolic pressure, and 80 is the diastolic pressure.