Raising the head of the bed is expected to cause blood pressure to do what?

Raising the head of the bed is expected to cause blood pressure to do what?

• A. Increase
• B. Decrease
• C. No change
• D. Variable

Answer: (B)

Raising the head of the bed lowers blood pressure because gravity shifts blood toward the lower body, reducing venous return to the heart. With less blood coming back to the heart, the ventricles fill less (lower preload), so the stroke volume and overall cardiac output decrease. That drop in the amount of blood the heart pumps leads to a lower arterial pressure. The body may try to compensate with a faster heart rate or peripheral vasoconstriction, but the immediate effect of elevating the head is a decrease in blood pressure.

Raising the head of the bed lowers blood pressure because gravity shifts blood toward the lower body, reducing venous return to the heart. With less blood coming back to the heart, the ventricles fill less (lower preload), so the stroke volume and overall cardiac output decrease. That drop in the amount of blood the heart pumps leads to a lower arterial pressure. The body may try to compensate with a faster heart rate or peripheral vasoconstriction, but the immediate effect of elevating the head is a decrease in blood pressure.