Calculating your mean arterial pressure is straightforward once you know the Mean Arterial Pressure formula and what each input means. This guide explains the method in plain language, walks through a manual calculation, and gives worked examples you can follow — then you can do it instantly with the Mean Arterial Pressure Calculator.
What is Mean Arterial Pressure?
The Mean Arterial Pressure calculation tells you your mean arterial pressure from a few simple inputs. The figure you are solving for here is the mean arterial pressure.
The Mean Arterial Pressure formula
The core formula is:
Mean arterial pressure = Diastolic pressure + (Systolic pressure - Diastolic pressure) ÷ 3Here is what each input means:
- Systolic pressure — a value measured in mmHg. Example: 120 mmHg.
- Diastolic pressure — a value measured in mmHg. Example: 80 mmHg.
How to calculate it step by step
- Write down the systolic pressure (for example, 120 mmHg).
- Write down the diastolic pressure (for example, 80 mmHg).
- Apply the formula above to get your mean arterial pressure.
- Double-check the result with the Mean Arterial Pressure Calculator.
Worked examples
Example 1
| Input / Output | Value |
|---|---|
| Systolic pressure | 120 mmHg |
| Diastolic pressure | 80 mmHg |
| Mean arterial pressure | 93.3 |
With systolic pressure of 120 mmHg and diastolic pressure of 80 mmHg, the mean arterial pressure works out to 93.3.
Example 2
With systolic pressure of 240 mmHg and diastolic pressure of 80 mmHg, the mean arterial pressure works out to 133.3.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Mean arterial pressure | 133.3 |
Example 3
With systolic pressure of 60 mmHg and diastolic pressure of 80 mmHg, the mean arterial pressure works out to 73.3.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Mean arterial pressure | 73.3 |
Tips for an accurate result
- Keep your units consistent — mixing, say, months with years or grams with kilograms is the most common source of error.
- Round only at the very end. Rounding inputs early can shift the final answer noticeably.
- Re-run the numbers whenever an input changes, rather than estimating from an old result.
- These figures are general estimates, not medical advice — check with a qualified professional before acting on them.
Prefer not to do the maths by hand? — the Mean Arterial Pressure Calculator does it instantly, for free, with the formula and a worked example built in.
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