Vital Signs
Various determinations that provide information about the health or condition of the patient
Main Vital Signs
Temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure
Body Temperature
measurement of the balance of the heat gained and heat lost
Normal oral body temperature
97.6-99.6
Normal Oral temperature
98.6
Normal Rectal Temperature
99.6
Normal Axillary Temperature
97.6
Temperature taken in the ear
Aural or Tympanic
pyrexia
fever
Temperature for fever
101 rectally
hyperthermia
high body temperature - greater than 104 rectally
hypothermia
low body temperature - lower than 95 rectally
pulse
pressure of blood pushing against the wall of an artery as the heart beats & rests
pulse deficit
difference between apical pulse and radial pulse
pulse deficit with Apical 150 and radial 100
50
pulse deficit with Apical 100 and radial 80
20
Most common pulse
radial
3 characteristics to note about pulse
rate, rhythm, and volume
respirations
process of taking in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide
3 characteristics of respirations
rate, rhythm, and character
dyspnea
difficulty breathing
apnea
absence of breathing
tachypnea
rapid respirations greater than 25 respirations per minute
bradypnea
slow respirations less than 10 respirations per minute
normal pulse in adult
60-90
normal respirations in adult
12-20
orthopnea
severe dyspnea in which breathing is difficult in any position other than sitting or standing
chyene stokes
periods of apnea followed by periods of dyspnea
rales
bubbly or noisy sounds caused by fluid and mucus
wheezing
dyspnea with high pitched whistling
cyanosis
bluish discoloration of skin, lips, and/or nail beds as a result of decreased oxygen
blood pressure
- measurement of the pressure the blood exerts on the walls of the arteries during various stages of heart activity.
systolic BP
occurs when the left ventricle is contracting and pushing blood into the arteries (1st sound heard & top #)
diastolic
constant pressure in the walls of the arteries when the left ventricle is at rest, or in between contractions (2nd sound heard & bottom #)
hypertension
high blood pressure greater than 140/90
hypotension
low blood pressure less than 90/60
orthostatic or postural hypotension
Sudden drop in BP when patient goes from lying to sitting or standing position
arrhythmia
abnormal pulse rate or irregular pulse rate
Sphygmomanometer
instrument used to measure blood pressure
stethoscope
medical device for auscultation, or listening to the internal sounds of an animal or human body.