What is the mean arterial pressure for a blood pressure of 120/80 mmHg?

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What is the mean arterial pressure for a blood pressure of 120/80 mmHg?

Mean arterial pressure is the time-weighted average pressure in the arteries over a cardiac cycle. Because the heart spends more time in diastole than in systole, the diastolic pressure is weighted more heavily when estimating this average. The standard approximation is MAP ≈ (SBP + 2×DBP)/3. With a blood pressure of 120/80 mmHg, that becomes (120 + 2×80)/3 = 280/3 ≈ 93.3 mmHg. This is the value that best reflects the pressure that drives blood flow through organs. Using a simple average (SBP + DBP)/2 would give 100 mmHg, which doesn’t account for the longer diastolic period.

Mean arterial pressure is the time-weighted average pressure in the arteries over a cardiac cycle. Because the heart spends more time in diastole than in systole, the diastolic pressure is weighted more heavily when estimating this average. The standard approximation is MAP ≈ (SBP + 2×DBP)/3. With a blood pressure of 120/80 mmHg, that becomes (120 + 2×80)/3 = 280/3 ≈ 93.3 mmHg. This is the value that best reflects the pressure that drives blood flow through organs. Using a simple average (SBP + DBP)/2 would give 100 mmHg, which doesn’t account for the longer diastolic period.

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