What is an important factor to consider when selecting a blood pressure cuff?

When selecting a blood pressure cuff, it is essential to consider the arm circumference rather than factors such as weight, age, or gender. The correct choice relates to how well the cuff fits around the arm, as an appropriately sized cuff is crucial for obtaining accurate blood pressure readings.

Using a cuff that is too small can result in artificially high readings, while a cuff that is too large can lead to falsely low readings. The width and length of the cuff should match the patient's arm size for the measurements to be reliable. It is typically recommended that the bladder of the cuff encircles at least 80% of the arm's circumference, ensuring that the readings reflect the actual blood pressure in the arteries.

While weight, age, and gender can influence other health assessments and considerations, they do not directly impact the selection of the blood pressure cuff in the same way that arm circumference does.