blood pressure

blood pressure   n.   Abbr. BP The pressure exerted by the blood against the walls of the blood vessels, especially the arteries. It varies with the strength of the heartbeat, the elasticity of the arterial walls, the volume and viscosity of the blood, and a person's health, age, and physical condition.

Main Entry: blood pressure
Function: noun
: pressure exerted by the blood upon the walls of the blood vessels and especially arteries, usually measured on the radialartery by means of a sphygmomanometer, and expressed in millimeters of mercury either as a fraction having as numerator the maximum pressure that follows systole of the left ventricle of the heart andas denominator the minimum pressure that accompanies cardiac diastole or as a whole number representing the first value only blood pressure of ¹²⁰/₈₀> blood pressure of 120> —abbreviation BP

blood pressure n.

Abbr. BP, B.P. The pressure exerted by the blood against the walls of the arteries, maintained by the contraction of the left ventricle, the resistance of the arterioles and capillaries, the elasticity of the arterial walls, and by the viscosity and volume of the blood. Also called arteriotony.

blood pressure   The pressure of the blood in the vessels, especially the arteries, as it circulates through the body. Blood pressure varies with the strength of the heartbeat, the volume of blood being pumped, and the elasticity of the blood vessels. Arterial blood pressure is usually measured by means of a sphygmomanometer and reported in millimeters of mercury as a fraction, with the numerator equal to the blood pressure during systole and the denominator equal to the blood pressure during diastole. See more at hypertension, hypotension.