Chapt 10: Vital Signs Flashcards
What are vital signs?
objective measure of the body’s basic functions.
Why are vital signs important?
help you monitor your patient’s health and indicate deterioration, especially in the acute care
setting.
What is normal oral temperature?
normal oral temperature in a resting person is 37° C (98.6° F), with a range of 35.8° to 37.3° C (96.4° to 99.1° F).
What is the relation of rectal temp to oral temp?
rectal temperature measures 0.4° to 0.5° C (0.7° to 1° F) higher than an oral measurement
What are the benefits of oral temperature?
most convenient and accurate site. The sublingual pocket has a rich blood supply from the carotid arteries that quickly responds to changes in inner core temperature.
What are benefits to rectal temperature?
most accurate route, and the result is as close to core temperature as possible without using more invasive measures reserved for the operating room and critical care environments.
How do tympanic membrane thermometer (TMT)’s work?
senses infrared emissions of the tympanic membrane (eardrum). The tympanic membrane shares the same vascular supply that perfuses the hypothalamus (the internal carotid artery); thus it is an accurate measurement of core temperature.
How are temporal artery thermometer (TAT)’s used?
used by sliding the probe across the forehead and behind the ear. The thermometer works by taking multiple readings and providing an average. The reading takes approximately 6 seconds.
What are the normal pulse rates for:
-Newborn
-1 wk to 3 mo
-3 mo to 2 yr
-2 yr to 10 yr
-10 yr to 20yr
AGE RESTING (AWAKE) | RESTING (ASLEEP) | EXERCISE/FEVER
Newborn 100-180 | 80-160 | Up to 220
1 wk to 3 mo 100-220 | 80-200 | Up to 220
3 mo to 2 yr 80-15 | 70-120 | Up to 220
2 to 10 yr 70-100 | 60-90 | 195-215
10 to 20 yr 55-90 | 50-90 | 195-215
What is bradycardia?
heart rate less than 50 beats/min
What is tachycardia?
rapid heart rate, variably defined as over 95 beats/min or over 100 beats/min
How do we grade force of pulses?
3+—Full, bounding
2+—Normal
1+—Weak, thready
0—Absent
What are the respiration rates for:
- 0 to 1 yr
- 1 to 3 yr
- 4 to 6 yr
- 7 or 9 yr
- 10 to 14 yr
- 15 to 18 yr
- Adult
0-1 yr | 24-38
1-3 yr | 22-30
4-6 yr | 20-24
7-9 yr | 18-24
10-14 yr | 16-22
15-18 yr | 14-20
Adult | 10-20
What is systolic pressure?
maximum pressure felt on the artery during left ventricular contraction, or systole.
What is diastolic pressure?
pressure is the elastic recoil, or resting, pressure that the blood exerts constantly between each contraction
