Pressure in the Body
Pressure in the Body
Next to taking a person’s temperature and weight, measuring blood pressure is the most common of all medical examinations. Control of high blood pressure is largely responsible for the significant decreases in heart attack and stroke fatalities achieved in the last three decades. The pressures in various parts of the body can be measured and often provide valuable medical indicators. In this section, we consider a few examples together with some of the physics that accompanies them.
The table below lists some of the measured pressures in mm Hg, the units most commonly quoted.
Typical Pressures in Humans
| Body system | Gauge pressure in mm Hg |
|---|---|
| Blood pressures in large arteries (resting) | |
| Maximum (systolic) | 100–140 |
| Minimum (diastolic) | 60–90 |
| Blood pressure in large veins | 4–15 |
| Eye | 12–24 |
| Brain and spinal fluid (lying down) | 5–12 |
| Bladder | |
| While filling | 0–25 |
| When full | 100–150 |
| Chest cavity between lungs and ribs | −8 to −4 |
| Inside lungs | −2 to +3 |
| Digestive tract | |
| Esophagus | −2 |
| Stomach | 0–20 |
| Intestines | 10–20 |
| Middle ear | <1 |
This lesson is part of:
Fluid Statics
View Full Tutorial