Not a wicked pressure, but instead the sum of systolic plus twice the diastolic pressure, divided by three. This is in recognition of the different durations of systole and diastole (with the latter being usually twice as long as systole), thus contributing unequally to average blood pressure values. Hence, in a patient with a blood pressure of 120/80 mmHg, the mean arterial pressure would be (120 + [2 × 80]) ÷ 3 = 280 ÷ 3 = 93.33.
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