To find you blood pressure using mercury, put the cuff over your bicep and wait for it to tighten. While the cuff is tightening it is important to stay calm and still keeping your heart rate as normal as possible. If you are uncomfortable the reading will be wrong so you have to stay very still. You should be seated while the reading is taking place with the arm rested. The machine will record both your systolic blood pressure and your diastolic pressure. Use three to five readings leaving a break of around two minutes per reading. Find an average and use this as your final reading.
Advantages
Using mercury makes it very easy to read and can be done again and again without having to be reset. They can be used at your home with smaller models being made which are very lightweight and easy to manoeuvre.
Disadvantages
A mercury spill is very dangerous and will bring around a lot of hazards to your health. It also requires strength to squeeze the bulb to enable it to work.
Advantages
Using mercury makes it very easy to read and can be done again and again without having to be reset. They can be used at your home with smaller models being made which are very lightweight and easy to manoeuvre.
Disadvantages
A mercury spill is very dangerous and will bring around a lot of hazards to your health. It also requires strength to squeeze the bulb to enable it to work.