Cardiovascular Fitness Procedures Manual

„ Attach electrode to the four sites by pressing around the outer edges of electrode first

to maximize adherence and then press gently on the center of the electrode to enhance

the contact of the electrode gel to the skin surface.

„ Clip the RA, LA, RL, and LL leads to the appropriate electrodes.

„ For female SPs, hand them the two top electrodes (RA and LA) and ask them to

thread the leads up underneath the gown and hand them to you. After the SP has done

this, take the leads and attach them to the appropriate electrodes.

3.8.2 Selection of Arm for Blood Pressure Monitoring

The Colin STBP-780 is an automated electronic heart rate and blood pressure monitor that

will be used to measure blood pressure and heart rate during the treadmill test. See Chapter 2 for a

description and picture of this monitor.

„ The right arm will be used for blood pressure monitoring.

„ Do not use the right arm if any of the following are present on that arm: wound, rash,

cast, edema, bandages, or any condition that would cause discomfort to the SP or

would prevent accurate measurement of blood pressure.

„ Do not use the arm if the SP has a dialysis shunt in that arm.

„ If the SP has had a radical mastectomy do not use the arm on the side of the

mastectomy. Use the opposite arm. If the SP has had a bilateral mastectomy, do not

measure the blood pressure in either arm. The SP will be excluded from the exam.

„ If the right arm cannot be used, use the left arm.

„ Do not use the left arm if any of the conditions listed above for the right arm are

present. In this situation, enter “Could Not Obtain” in the system.

„ Enter “right, left, or could not obtain” for Arm Selected.

„ If “right” or “left” is selected, go to cuff size and enter the cuff size that will be used.

„ If “could not obtain” is selected, the SP will be excluded due to inability to monitor

blood pressure. The system will display a message to ask you to confirm your

selection. If you select yes, another message will be displayed as “SP excluded due to

safety considerations/physical limitations informing you that the SP has been

excluded from the test.” The system will go to the Component Status screen; the

Status will be set to “Partial” with the comment “physical limitation.”