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Nursing 20G - Vital Signs > 1) Key Terms > Flashcards

1) Key Terms Flashcards

1
Q

What is afebrile?

A
  • Without fever
  • Normal body temperature
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2
Q

What are antipyretics?

A
  • Medications that reduce fever
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3
Q

What is an auscultatory gap?

A
  • Momentary silence between systolic and diastolic sounds when taking blood pressure
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4
Q

What is basal metabolic rate (BMR)?

A
  • Minimum energy required for basic body functions at rest
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5
Q

What is blood pressure?

A
  • Force exerted by circulating blood on walls of blood vessels
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6
Q

What is bradycardia?

A
  • Slow heart rate, below normal range
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7
Q

What is cardiac output?

A
  • Amount of blood pumped by the heart per minute
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8
Q

What is Celsius?

A
  • Temperature scale where water freezes at 0°C and boils at 100°C
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9
Q

What is conduction?

A
  • Transfer of heat between objects by direct contact
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10
Q

What is convection?

A
  • Transfer of heat by movement of a liquid or gas
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11
Q

What is core temperature?

A
  • Temperature of the body’s internal organs
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12
Q

What is diaphoresis?

A
  • Profuse sweating
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13
Q

What is diastolic blood pressure?

A
  • Blood pressure between heartbeats when heart is relaxing
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14
Q

What is diffusion?

A
  • Spread of particles from high to low concentration
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15
Q

What is a dysrhythmia?

A
  • Abnormal heart rhythm
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16
Q

What is eupnea?

A
  • Normal relaxed breathing
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17
Q

What is evaporation?

A
  • Vaporization of a liquid to a gas
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18
Q

What does febrile mean?

A
  • Having a fever
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19
Q

What is a fever?

A
  • Elevated body temperature above normal range
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20
Q

What is a fever of unknown origin?

A
  • Fever with no identified cause after investigation
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21
Q

What is frostbite?

A
  • Freezing of body tissues from exposure to extreme cold
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22
Q

What is heat exhaustion?

A
  • Condition caused by exposure to high temperatures and dehydration
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23
Q

What is heatstroke?

A
  • Life-threatening failure of thermoregulation from extreme heat
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24
Q

What is hematocrit?

A
  • Percentage of red blood cells in total blood volume
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25
Q

What is hypertension?

A
  • Abnormally high blood pressure
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26
Q

What is hyperthermia?

A
  • Elevated body temperature above normal range
27
Q

What is hypotension?

A
  • Abnormally low blood pressure
28
Q

What is the hypothalamus?

A
  • Part of brain that regulates body temperature
29
Q

What is hypothermia?

A
  • Abnormally low body temperature
30
Q

What is hypoxemia?

A
  • Low oxygen levels in the blood
31
Q

What is malignant hyperthermia?

A
  • Rare but potentially fatal adverse reaction to general anesthesia
  • Characterized by rapid rise in body temperature, muscle rigidity, etc.
  • Treated with dantrolene and supportive care
32
Q

What is masked hypertension?

A
  • High blood pressure only present outside of clinical setting
  • Normal readings in doctor’s office but elevated at home
33
Q

What is nonshivering thermogenesis?

A
  • Production of body heat without shivering
  • Occurs through metabolism of brown fat
34
Q

What is orthostatic hypotension?

A
  • Sudden drop in blood pressure upon standing up
  • Due to blood pooling in lower extremities
35
Q

What is perfusion?

A
  • Passage of blood through capillary beds to supply tissues
36
Q

What is postural hypotension?

A
  • Drop in blood pressure from change in body position
37
Q

What is a pulse?

A
  • Palpable rhythmic expansion of an artery from blood flow
38
Q

What is a pulse deficit?

A
  • When radial pulse rate is less than heart rate
  • Indicates arrhythmia or blocked blood flow
39
Q

What is a pulse oximeter?

A
  • Device that measures oxygen saturation in blood
40
Q

What is pulse pressure?

A
  • Difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressures
41
Q

What is pyrexia?

A
  • Abnormally high body temperature/fever
42
Q

What are pyrogens?

A
  • Substances that cause fever by affecting hypothalamus
43
Q

What is the radial pulse?

A
  • Pulse felt at the radial artery in the wrist
44
Q

What is radiation?

A
  • Transfer of heat from a warm object to cooler surroundings
45
Q

What is shivering?

A
  • Involuntary muscle contractions to generate body heat
46
Q

What is a sphygmomanometer?

A
  • Device used to measure blood pressure
47
Q

What is stroke volume?

A
  • Amount of blood pumped from ventricle per beat
48
Q

What is systolic blood pressure?

A
  • Blood pressure during ventricular contraction
49
Q

What is tachycardia?

A
  • Abnormally rapid resting heart rate
50
Q

What is thermoregulation?

A
  • Process of maintaining normal body temperature
51
Q

What is tidal volume?

A
  • Amount of air inhaled/exhaled with each breath
52
Q

What is ventilation?

A
  • Process of inhaling and exhaling air
53
Q

What are vital signs (VS)?

A
  • Body measurements used to assess health status
  • Include temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure
54
Q

What is white coat hypertension?

A
  • Elevated blood pressure only in clinical setting
  • Normal at other times
55
Q

What are the most frequent measurements obtained by healthcare providers?

A
  • Temperature
  • Pulse
  • Blood pressure
  • Respiratory rate
  • Oxygen saturation
56
Q

Why are these measurements referred to as vital signs?
- Temperature
- Pulse
- Blood pressure
- Respiratory rate
- Oxygen saturation

A
  • They indicate the effectiveness of circulatory, respiratory, neural, and endocrine functions
  • Their importance in assessing health status
57
Q

What factors can cause vital signs to change?

A
  • Environmental temperature
  • Physical state
  • Activities
  • Illness
58
Q

What is the “fifth vital sign”?

A
  • Pain
  • Its assessment influences other vital signs
  • Necessary to include in baseline data
59
Q

What do vital signs provide?

A
  • Important data to determine usual state of health (baseline)
  • Indication of physiological changes requiring intervention
60
Q

How are vital signs measured?

A
  • Inspection
  • Palpation
  • Auscultation
61
Q

Why is careful measurement technique important?

A
  • Ensures accurate and consistent vital sign findings
62
Q

How are vital signs interconnected?

A
  • Increase in temperature often increases respiratory rate and pulse
  • Blood pressure and pulse often rise/fall together
63
Q

What is an exception to blood pressure and pulse rising/falling together?

A
  • In hypovolemic shock or severe infection, blood pressure falls as pulse increases
64
Q

What is the basis for clinical problem solving?

A
  • Vital signs and other physiological measurements

Nursing 20G - Vital Signs (19 decks)

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