If a patient’s blood pressure is 115 over 65 mmHg, what is it in atmospheres (atm)?
The correct answer and explanation is:
To convert blood pressure from millimeters of mercury (mmHg) to atmospheres (atm), we use the following conversion factor:
1 atm = 760 mmHg.
To convert the systolic and diastolic blood pressure values to atmospheres, divide the values by 760:
Systolic Pressure:
115 mmHg ÷ 760 mmHg/atm = 0.1513 atm.
Diastolic Pressure:
65 mmHg ÷ 760 mmHg/atm = 0.0855 atm.
Thus, the blood pressure of 115/65 mmHg is equivalent to approximately 0.1513 atm / 0.0855 atm.
Explanation:
Blood pressure is typically expressed in millimeters of mercury (mmHg), where mmHg represents the height of a mercury column that can be displaced by the pressure. This unit is based on the standard barometric pressure, which is the pressure exerted by a column of mercury that is 760 millimeters high at sea level.
An atmosphere (atm) is a unit of pressure that represents the average pressure at sea level. It is commonly used to quantify atmospheric pressure and is defined as 101,325 pascals (Pa). The conversion from mmHg to atm is based on the relationship between the two units, where 1 atm is equivalent to 760 mmHg.
When converting a blood pressure value from mmHg to atm, it’s essential to divide the blood pressure value by 760, which is the number of millimeters in a mercury column that corresponds to 1 atm of pressure. This conversion provides a more standardized unit for pressure, especially useful in scientific contexts where different pressure measurements need to be compared.
In medical practice, blood pressure is almost always measured in mmHg. However, understanding the conversion to atm can be useful in specific scientific research or for comparing different pressure units.