Chapter 11 - Baseline Vital Signs Flashcards
What is a sphygmomanometer?
Blood pressure cuff
What base line vital signs are needed, also called signs of life?
Respiration, pulse oximetry Pulse Skin Pupils Blood pressure
What are the first set of vital signs called?
Baseline vital signs
What are the normal respiratory rates ranges for adults, adolescents, children, infants, newborns?
Adults 8-24 per minute Adolescents 12-20 Children 15-30 Infants 20-40 Newborns 30-60
What are 4 types of respiratory quality?
Normal
Shallow
Labored
Noisy
What is a pulse?
The pressure wave generated by the contraction of the left ventricle
What is tachycardia?
Heart rate over 100 bpm
What is bradycardia
Heart rate less than 60 bpm
What should the skin be checked for?
Color, temperature, condition, and capillary refill
What is capillary refill?
The time it takes for compresses capillaries to refill with blood
What are the normal rates for capillary refill for adults, children, infants, females and the elderly?
Adults, children and infants - 2 seconds
Females - 3 seconds
Elderly - 4 seconds
When checking a patients pupils what do you look for?
Size - dilated or constricted
Equality - pupils of the same size
Reactivity - pupils changing size in response to light
What is blood pressure?
The pressure that is exerted on the walls of the arteries by the blood flowing through them
Amount of pressure exerted on the walls of the arteries during the contraction and ejection of blood from the left ventricle
Systolic blood pressure
The amount of pressure on the artery walls while the ventricle is at rest
Diastolic blood pressure
What is pulse pressure?
The difference between the systolic and diastolic blood pressures
What are the ways to measure blood pressure
Auscultation - listening for sounds through a stethoscope
Palpation - feel for the pulse
What is pulse oximetry?
Method of detecting hypoxia in patients by measuring oxygen saturation levels in the blood
What are the normal and low ranges for pulse oximeter reading?
Normal - 97-100%
Low - 94 and below
What is Pulsus paradoxus?
The decrees of the pulse during inhalation of the patient
What is orthostatic vital signs?
When you suspect a patient of having volume loss, you take there blood pressure in a supine position and the again standing.
What does the mnemonic SAMPLE stand for?
S - signs and symptoms A - allergies M - medications P - pertinent past history L - last oral intake E - events leading to injury or illness
What does the mnemonic OPQRST stand for?
O - onset P - provocation/position Q - quality R - radiation S - severity T - time
