What is a risk of measuring blood pressure with the cuff placed over thick clothing?

• A. It has no effect on accuracy.
• B. Inaccurate readings due to restricted cuff inflation, leading to falsely high or low values; remove clothing as needed.
• C. It improves accuracy by maintaining warmth.
• D. It always yields higher readings.

Answer: (B)

When the cuff is placed over thick clothing, fabric between the cuff and the arm disrupts the way the cuff pressure translates to artery occlusion. The stray fabric acts as a cushion and barrier, so the cuff may need to be inflated more to feel the artery, or the pressure transmission becomes irregular. The result is an inaccurate reading that can be higher or lower than the true blood pressure. The correct practice is to remove clothing or place the cuff directly on the skin (or over a very thin layer) so the cuff can sit flush against the arm and accurately sense the arterial pressure. Warmth from clothing does not improve accuracy, and readings are not guaranteed to be higher—so those choices aren’t correct.