Emergency Medical Responder Practice Exam

The vital sign that is typically assessed using a stethoscope is blood pressure. When measuring blood pressure, a sphygmomanometer (the cuff) is used to occlude the blood flow in an artery, and the stethoscope allows the responder to listen to the Korotkoff sounds as blood begins to flow again when the cuff is released. This technique provides crucial information on the pressure in the arteries, indicating how well the heart is pumping blood throughout the body.

Listening to the heart through a stethoscope can provide information about heart rate and rhythm, but heart rate itself can be counted through palpation at pulse points. Respiratory rate can be observed by watching chest rise and fall or feeling breath on the cheek. Temperature is measured through thermometers, rather than with a stethoscope. Thus, while various vital signs can be assessed in different ways, blood pressure specifically requires the use of a stethoscope for accurate measurement.