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Nursing 20G - Vital Signs > 4) Body Temperature: Physiology > Flashcards

4) Body Temperature: Physiology Flashcards

1
Q

What determines body temperature?

A
  • The difference between heat produced by body processes
  • And the amount of heat lost to the external environment
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2
Q

How do temperature control mechanisms work?

A
  • They keep the body’s core temperature relatively constant
  • Despite environmental extremes and physical activity levels
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3
Q

How does body surface temperature differ from core temperature?

A
  • Surface temperature fluctuates
  • Depending on blood flow to skin and heat lost to environment
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4
Q

What is the acceptable body temperature range?

A
  • 36°C to 38°C
  • A narrow range for optimal tissue/cell function
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5
Q

What is the aim when measuring body temperature?

A
  • To obtain average temperature of core body tissues/organs
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6
Q

Which temperature measurement sites reflect core temperature?

A

Rectum
Tympanic membrane
Temporal artery
Esophagus
Pulmonary artery
Urinary bladder
Nasopharynx

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7
Q

Which sites reflect surface temperature?

A

Skin
Mouth
Axillae

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8
Q

Can temperature values differ between measurement sites?

A
  • Yes, values may differ between sites
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9
Q

What should nurses recognize about temperature readings?

A
  • No single reading is normal for all people
  • Learn the temperature range for individual patients
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10
Q

How is body temperature regulation controlled?

A
  • Thermoregulation is regulated by physiological and behavioral mechanisms
  • The balance between heat production and heat loss must be closely maintained
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11
Q

What controls body temperature regulation?

A
  • The hypothalamus controls body temperature like a thermostat
  • The anterior hypothalamus controls heat loss, the posterior controls heat production
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12
Q

How does the anterior hypothalamus regulate temperature?

A
  • When heated above set point, it sends impulses to reduce body temperature
  • Mechanisms include sweating, vasodilation, inhibiting heat production
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13
Q

How does the posterior hypothalamus regulate temperature?

A
  • When body temperature is below set point, it institutes heat conservation
  • Mechanisms include vasoconstriction, muscle contraction, and shivering
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14
Q

What can disrupt temperature regulation?

A
  • Disease or trauma to the hypothalamus or spinal cord
  • Can cause serious alterations in temperature control
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15
Q

What is the basis for heat production in the body?

A
  • Heat is produced as a by-product of metabolism in all body cells
  • Food is the primary fuel source for metabolism
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16
Q

How does activity level affect heat production?

A
  • Additional chemical reactions from activities increase metabolic rate
  • As metabolism increases, more heat is produced
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17
Q

What processes produce heat in the body?

A
  • Heat production occurs during rest, voluntary movements, shivering, nonshivering thermogenesis
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18
Q

What is basal metabolism?

A
  • Accounts for heat produced by the body at absolute rest
  • Average basal metabolic rate depends on body surface area
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19
Q

How do thyroid hormones affect heat production?

A
  • Promote breakdown of glucose and fat, increasing metabolic rate
  • Large amounts can increase basal metabolic rate by 100%
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20
Q

How does gender affect basal metabolic rate?

A
  • Testosterone increases basal metabolic rate
  • Men have a higher basal metabolic rate than women
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21
Q

How does exercise affect heat production?

A
  • Voluntary movements like exercise require additional energy
  • Metabolic rates can increase up to 2000 times normal during exercise
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22
Q

What is shivering and how does it produce heat?

A
  • Involuntary muscle movement in response to temperature differences
  • Skeletal muscle movement requires significant energy, increasing heat production
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23
Q

Who is at increased risk for hypothermia related to heat production?

A
  • Newborns and older persons are less able to shiver or vasoconstrict
  • Puts them at increased risk for hypothermia
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24
Q

What is nonshivering thermogenesis?

A
  • Occurs primarily in newborns as main heat source due to inability to shiver
  • Stimulates fat metabolism to produce internal heat
25
Q

How does heat loss occur in the body?

A
  • Through radiation, conduction, convection, and evaporation
  • Due to skin’s structure and exposure to environment
26
Q

What is radiation heat loss?

A
  • Transfer of heat from body surface to environment without direct contact
  • Up to 85% of body surface area radiates heat
27
Q

How does vasodilation/vasoconstriction affect radiation heat loss?

A
  • Vasodilation increases blood flow to skin, increasing radiant heat loss
  • Vasoconstriction minimizes radiant heat loss
28
Q

What factors increase radiation heat loss?

A
  • Removing clothing/blankets
  • Standing position exposes more surface area
  • Temperature difference between body and environment
29
Q

How can radiation heat loss be reduced?

A
  • Fetal position minimizes exposed surface area
  • Wearing dark, closely woven clothing
30
Q

What is conduction heat loss?

A
  • Transfer of heat through direct contact with solids/liquids/gases
  • Normally accounts for small amount of heat loss
31
Q

How can conduction heat loss be increased/decreased?

A
  • Applying cool cloths increases conductive loss
  • Layering clothing reduces conductive loss
32
Q

What is convection heat loss?

A
  • Transfer of heat away from body by air movement
  • Fans promote convection heat loss
33
Q

What increases convection heat loss?

A
  • Moistened skin coming into contact with moving air
34
Q

What is evaporation in relation to heat loss?

A
  • Transfer of heat energy when liquid changes to gas
  • Body continuously loses heat through evaporation
35
Q

How much water/heat is lost through evaporation daily?

A
  • About 600-900 mL evaporates from skin and lungs
  • Resulting in water and heat loss
36
Q

How does the body promote additional evaporative heat loss?

A
  • By regulating perspiration (sweating)
  • Sweat glands in skin secrete sweat that evaporates
37
Q

What triggers sweat gland secretion?

A
  • When body temperature rises
  • Anterior hypothalamus signals sweat glands to release sweat
38
Q

When does sweating occur to lose excessive heat?

A
  • During exercise
  • During emotional or mental stress
39
Q

What is diaphoresis?

A
  • Visible perspiration
  • Occurs primarily on forehead and upper thorax
40
Q

What can excessive evaporation cause?

A
  • Skin scaling and itching
  • Drying of nares and pharynx
41
Q

How does lowered body temperature affect sweating?

A
  • Inhibits sweat gland secretion
42
Q

Who cannot tolerate warm temperatures due to impaired sweating?

A
  • Those with congenital absence of sweat glands
  • Those with skin diseases impairing sweating
43
Q

How does the skin help regulate body temperature?

A
  • Insulates the body
  • Controls blood flow/heat loss through vasoconstriction/vasodilation
  • Provides temperature sensation
44
Q

What provides insulation to keep heat inside the body?

A
  • Skin
  • Subcutaneous tissue
  • Body fat
45
Q

Who has more natural insulation?

A
  • People with more body fat
  • Compared to slim/muscular people
46
Q

Where is heat produced in the body?

A
  • Internal organs
  • Amount increases during exercise/sympathetic stimulation
47
Q

How does blood carry heat to the skin surface?

A
  • Blood flows from internal organs carrying heat
  • To well-vascularized areas like hands, feet, ears
48
Q

How much blood can flow through vascular skin areas?

A
  • May vary from minimal to 30% of heart’s output
49
Q

How is heat lost from the skin surface?

A
  • Heat transfers from blood vessels to skin surface
  • Then lost to environment through heat loss mechanisms
50
Q

What determines blood flow and heat loss to skin?

A
  • Degree of vasoconstriction
51
Q

How does the body respond to high core temperature?

A
  • Hypothalamus inhibits vasoconstriction
  • Blood vessels dilate, increasing blood/heat to skin surface
52
Q

How does the body respond to low core temperature?

A
  • Hypothalamus initiates vasoconstriction
  • Reducing blood flow/heat loss to skin to conserve heat
53
Q

What allows healthy individuals to maintain comfortable body temperature?

A
  • Voluntarily acting when exposed to temperature extremes
  • Ability depends on degree of temperature extreme
54
Q

What abilities are needed to control body temperature?

A
  • Sensing feeling comfortable/uncomfortable
  • Intact thought processes and emotions
  • Mobility to remove/add clothes
55
Q

Who may have difficulty controlling body temperature?

A
  • Those lacking the required abilities
  • Infants, older adults, spinal cord injuries
56
Q

What can impair temperature control?

A
  • Illness
  • Altered consciousness
  • Impaired thought processes
57
Q

How effective are behavioral changes in extreme temperatures?

A
  • Have limited effect on controlling temperature
  • Like removing/adding clothes
58
Q

What is important for nurses regarding thermoregulation?

A
  • Assessing factors that place patients at high risk
  • For ineffective thermoregulation
59
Q
A

Nursing 20G - Vital Signs (19 decks)

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