Calculate mean arterial pressure from a blood pressure reading, with pulse pressure and category.
Understanding the map calculation
Mean arterial pressure is the average pressure driving blood into the tissues over a full cardiac cycle. Because the heart spends roughly twice as long in diastole as in systole, the formula weights diastolic pressure twice as heavily.
MAP is a better indicator of organ perfusion than systolic pressure alone, which is why it appears in critical care targets. A value around 60 is generally taken as the lower bound for adequate perfusion.
The default scenario, worked through
Take the starting scenario, a heart rate of 70. That gives a mean arterial pressure of 93.3. Underneath, Pulse pressure comes out at 40 mmHg and Blood pressure category at Stage 1 hypertension range. Change any field and every figure updates as you type.
Step by step
- Enter your systolic reading (the higher number).
- Enter your diastolic reading (the lower number).
- Optionally add heart rate for the rate pressure product.