Ch 16 Vocab Flashcards
Apical pulse
Pulse tanken with a stethoscope and near the apex of the heart.
Apnea
Absence of respirations; temporary cessation of respirations.
Arrythmia
An irregular heartbeat
Aural temperature
Measurement of body temperature at the tympanic membrane in the ear.
Axillary temperature
Temperature taken in the armpit, under the upper arm.
Blood pressure
The force of the blood going through your arteries.
Bradycardia
Slow heart rate, usually below 60 beats per minute.
Character
The quality of respirations (for example, deep, shallow, or labored).
Cheyne-Stokes
Periods of difficult breathing (dyspnea) followed by periods of no respirations (apnea).
Clinical thermometers
Thermometers consisting of a slender glass tube containing mercury or a heat-reactive mercury-free liquid such as alcohol, which expands when exposed to heat.
Cyanosis
A bluish color in the skin, nails, and lips caused by a shortage of oxygen.
Diastolic
Measurement of blood pressure taken when the heart is at rest; measurement of the constant pressure in arteries.
Dyspnea
Difficult or labored breathing.
Electronic thermometers
Types of thermometers that use a heat sensor to record temperature and display the temperature on a viewer in a few seconds; can be used to take oral, rectal, axillary, and/or groin temperatures.
Fever
fever
Elevated body temperature, usually above 101 F or 38.3 C, rectally.
Homeostasis
the tendency toward a relatively stable equilibrium between interdependent elements, especially as maintained by physiological processes.
Hypertension
High blood pressure
Hyperthermia
Condition that occurs when body temperature exceeds 104 F or 40 C, rectally.
Hypothermia
Low blood pressure.
No contact infrared thermometer
Type of thermometer that uses light wavelength technology to measure the thermal energy radiating from the skin without requiring any physical contact with the person.
Oral temperature
Temperature taken in the mouth.
Orthopnea
Severe dyspnea in which breathing is very difficult in any position other than sitting erect or standing.
Pain
An unpleasant sensation that is perceived in the nervous system when illness or injury occurs.
Pulse
Pressure of the blood felt against the wall of an artery as the heart contracts or beats.
Pulse deficit
The difference between the rate of an apical pulse and the rate of a radial pulse.
Pulse oximeter
A device that measures the oxygen level in arterial blood.
Pulse pressure
The difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Pyrexia
Fever.
Rales
Bubbling or noisy sounds caused by fluid or mucus in the air passages.
Rate
Number per minute, as with pulse and respiration counts.
Rectal temperature
Temperature taken in the rectum; an internal measurement and the most accurate of all methods of taking temperatures.
Respirations
Measurements that reflect the breathing rate of the patient; include respiration count, rhythm, and character of respirations; abnormal respirations usually indicate that a health problem or disease is present.
Rhythm
Referring to regularity; regular or irregular.
Sphygmomanometer
Instrument calibrated for measuring blood pressure in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).
Stethoscope
Instrument used for listening to internal body sounds.
Systolic
Measurement of blood pressure taken when the heart is contracting and forcing blood into the arteries.
Tachycardia
Fast, or rapid, heartbeat ( usually more than 100 beats per minute in an adult).
Tachypnea
Respiratory rate above 25 respirations per minute.
Temperature
The measurement of the balance between heat lost and heat produced by the body.
Temporal scanning thermometer
Specialized electronic thermometers that use an infrared scanner to measure the temperature in the temporal artery of the forehead.
Temporal temperature
Measurement of body temperature at the temporal artery on the forehead.
Tympanic thermometers
Specialized electronic thermometers that use an infrared ray to record the aural temperature in the ear.
Vital signs
Determinations that provide information about body conditions; include temperature, pulse, respirations, and blood pressure.
Volume
The degree of strength of a pulse (for example, strong or weak).
Wheezing
Difficult breathing with a high-pitched whistling or sighing sound during expiration.
