Chapter 17 - Patient Assessment Flashcards
Antegrade Amnesia
The inability to remember short-term memory information after and event during which the head was struck.
Auscultation
The process of listening to body noises with stethoscope.
AVPU
Mnemonic for Awake, Verbal, Pain, Unresponsive; used to evaluate a patient’s mental status.
Battle’s Signs
Significant bruising around the mastoid process (behind the ears).
Borborygmus
Hyperactivity of bowel sounds.
Bowel Sounds
The noises made by the intestinal smooth muscles as they squeeze fluids and food products through the digestive tract.
Bradycardia
Heart rate slower than 60 beats/min.
Bradypnea
A respiratory rate less than 12 breaths/min.
Bruit
The blowing or swishing sound created by the turbulence within a blood vessel.
Carotid Bruit
The noise made when blood in the carotid arteries passes over plaque buildups.
Core Body Temperature
The measured body temperature within the core of the body; generally measured with an esophageal probe; normal is 98.6 F.
CSM
Circulation, Sensation, and Movement
Cullen’s Sign
Yellow-blue ecchymosis surrounding the umbilicus.
Cyanosis
A bluish coloration of the skin as a result of hypoxemia, or deoxygenation of hemoglobin.
Diastole
The period when the ventricles are relaxed and filling with blood.
Diastolic Blood Pressure
The pressure exerted against the walls of the large arteries during ventricular relaxation.
Ecchymosis
Collection of blood within the skin that appears blue-black, eventually fading to a greenish-brown and yellow; commonly called a bruise.
Fluctuance
A wavelike motion felt between two fingertips when palpating a fluid-filled structure such as a subcutaneous abscess.
Gasping
Inhaling and exhaling with quick, difficult breaths.
Grey-Turner’s Sign
Bruising along the flanks that may indicate pancreatitis or intra-abdominal hemorrhage
Grunting
A short, low-pitched sound heard at the end of exhalation that represents an attempt to generate positive end-expiratory pressure by exhaling against a closed glottis, prolonging the period of oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange across the alveolar-capillary membrane; a compensatory mechanism to help maintain latency of small airways and prevent atelectasis.
Gurgling
Abnormal respiratory sound associated with collection of liquid and semisolid material in the patient’s upper airway.
Head Bobbing
Indicator of increased work of breathing in infants; the head falls forward with exhalation and comes up with expansion of the chest on inhalation.
Hypertension
Elevated blood pressure.
Hyperthermia
A core body temperature greater than 98.6 F
Hypotension
Low blood pressure significant enough to cause inadequate perfusion.
Hypothermia
A core body temperature below 95 F
Induration
Hardened mass within the tissue typically associated with inflammation.
Korotkoff Sounds
The noise made by blood under pressure tumbling through the arteries.
Lesions
A wound, injury, or pathologic change in body tissue; any visible, local abnormality of the tissues of the skin, such as a wound, sore, rash, or boil.
Life-Threatening Conditions
A problem of the circulatory, respiratory, or nervous system that will kill a patient within minutes if not properly managed.
Minute Volume
The amount of air moved in and out of the lungs in 1 minute; determined by multiplying the tidal volume by the respiratory rate.
Nasal Flaring
Widening of the nostrils on inhalation; an attempt to increase the size of the airway and increase the amount of available oxygen.
Nystagmus
Involuntary rapid movement of the eyes in the horizontal, vertical, or rotary planes of the eyeball.
Painful Stimulus
Any stimulus that causes discomfort to the patient, triggering some sort of response.
Palpitation
The process of applying pressure against the body with the intent of gathering information.
Percussion
A diagnostic technique that uses tapping on he body to differentiate air, solids, and fluids.
Photosensitivity
A conditioning which the patient’s eyes are sensitive or feel pain when exposed to bright light.
Pleural friction rub
Noise made when the visceral and parietal pleura rub together.
Point of Maximum Impulse (PMI)
The apical impulse; the site when the heart beat is most strongly felt.
Pulse Oximetry
A measured percent of saturated hemoglobin.
Pulse Pressure
The difference between the systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Raccoon Eyes
Bruising around the orbits of the eyes.
Range of Motion
The full and natural range of a joint’s movement.
Rapid Medical Assessment
A quick head-to-toe assessment of a medical patient who is unresponsive or has an altered mental status.
Rapid Trauma Assessment
A quick head-to-toe assessment of a trauma patient with a significant mechanism of injury.
Rebound tenderness
Discomfort experienced by the patient that occurs when the pressure from palpation is released.
Retractions
Sinking in of the soft tissues above the sternum or clavicle or between of below the ribs during inhalation.
Retrograde Amnesia
The inability to remember events or recall memories from before an event in which the head was struck.
S1
The sound of the tricuspid and mitral valves closing
S2
The sound of the closing of the pulmonary and aortic valves.
Signs and Symptoms
Signs are medical or trauma condition of the patient that can be seen heard, smelled, measured, or felt during the examination/ Symptoms are conditions described by the patient, such as shortness of breath, or pieces of information bystanders tell you about the patient’s chief complaint.
Shock
Inadequate systemic perfusion.
Skin Turgor
The elasticity of the skin/ good skin turgor returns the skin’s natural shape within 2 seconds.
Sniffing Position
Neck flexion at the fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae, with the head extended at the first and second cervical vertebrae. This position aligns the axes of the mouth, pharynx, and trace, opening the airway and increasing airflow.
Snoring
Noisy breathing through the mouth and nose during sleep; caused by air passing through a narrowed upper airway.
Stridor
A harsh, high-pitched sound heard on inspiration associated with upper airway obstruction; Often described as a high-pitched crowing or “seal bark” sound.
Systole
The period when the ventricles are contracting.
Systolic Blood Pressure
The pressure exerted against the walls o the large attires at the peak of ventricular contrition.
Tachycardia
A hear rate greater than 100 beats/min.
Tachypnea
An increased respiratory rate, usually greater than 30 breaths/min.
Tidal Volume
The volume of air moved into or out of the lungs during a normal breath; can be indirectly evaluated by observing the rise and fall of the patient’s chest and abdomen.
Tripod Position
Position used to maintain an open airway that involves sitting upright and leaning forward with the neck slightly extend, chin projected, and mouth open and supported by the arms.
Verbal Stimulus
Any noise that elicits some sort of response from the patient.
Visual Acuity Card
A standard board used to test vision.
Voluntary Guarding
Conscious contrition of the abdominal muscles in an attempt to prevent painful palpation.
Wheezes
High-pithced whistling sounds produced by air moving through narrowed airway passages.
