Chapter 9: Patient Assessment Flashcards
The secondary muscles of respiration. They include the neck muscles (sternocleidomastoids), the chest pectoralis major muscles, and the abdominal muscles.
accessory muscles
To listen to the sounds within an organ with a stethoscope
auscultate
A method of assessing the level of consciousness by determining whether the patient is awake and alert, responsive to verbal stimuli or pain, or unresponsive; used principally early in the assessment process
AVPU scale
The pressure of circulating blood against the walls of the arteries
blood pressure
a slow heart rate, less than 60 beats per minute
bradycardia
An indication of air movement in the lungs, usually assessed with a stethoscope
breath sounds
A test that evaluates distal circulatory system function by squeezing (blanching) blood from an area such as a nail bed and watching the speed of its return after releasing the pressure
capillary refill
A noninvasive method that can quickly and efficiently provide information on a patient’s ventilatory status, circulation, and metabolism
capnography
The use of a capnometer, a devices that measures the amount of expired carbon dioxide
capnometry
typically makes up 0.3% of air at sea level, It is also a waste product exhaled during expiration by the respiratory system
carbon dioxide
The reason a patient called for help; the patient’s response to questions such as “what’s wrong?” or “what happened?”
chief complaint
to form a clot to plug an opening in an injured blood vessel and stop bleeding
coagulate
Capnometer or end-tidal carbon dioxide detectors are devices that use a chemical reaction to detect the amount of carbon dioxide present in expired gases by changing colors (qualitative measurement rather than quantitative)
colorimetric devices
The delicate membrane that lines the eyelids and covers the exposed surface of the eye
conjunctiva
A grating or grinding sensation caused by fractured bone ends or joints rubbing together; also air bubbles under the skin that produce a crackling sound or crinkly feeling
crepitus
a bluish gray skin color that is caused by a reduced level of oxygen in the blood
cyanosis
A mneumonic for assessment in which each area of the body is evaluated for Deformities, Contusions, Abrasions, Punctures/penitrations, Burns, Tenderness, Lacerations, and Swelling
DCAP-BTLS
Characterized by profuse sweating
diaphoretic
The pressure that remains in the arteries during the relaxing phase of the heart’s cycle (diastole) when the left ventricle is at rest
diastolic pressure
the amount of carbon dioxide present in exhaled breath
end-tidal CO2
A type of physical assessment that is typically performed on patients who have sustained non-significant mechanisms of injury or on responsive medical patients. This type of examination is based on the chief complaint and focuses on one body system or part.
focused assessment
damage to tissues as the result of exposure to cold; frozen or partially frozen body parts
frostbite
A systematic head-to-toe examination that is performed during the secondary assessment on a patient who has sustained a significant mechanism of injury, is unconscious, or is in critical condition
full-body scan
The overall initial impression that determines the priority for patient care; based on the patient’s surroundings, the mechanism of injury, signs and symptoms, and the chief complaint
general impression
The time from injury to definitive care, during which treatment of shock and traumatic injuries should occur because survival potential is best
Golden Period
Involuntary muscle contractions (spasms) of the abdominal wall in an effort to protect an inflamed abdomen; a sign of peritonitis
guarding
A step within the patient assessment process that provides detail about the patient’s chief complaint and an account of the patient’s signs and symptoms
history taking
blood pressure that is higher than the normal range
hypertension