vital

Question 1

apical pulse

Answer 1

Pulse taken with a stethoscope and near the apex of the heart.

Question 2

apnea

Answer 2

Absence of respirations; temporary cessation of respirations.

Question 3

arrhythmia

Answer 3

Irregular or abnormal rhythm, usually referring to the heart rhythm.

Question 4

aural temperature

Answer 4

Measurement of body temperature at the tympanic membrane in the ear.

Question 5

axillary temperature

Answer 5

Temperature taken in the armpit, under the upper arm.

Question 6

blood pressure

Answer 6

Measurement of the force exerted by the heart against the arterial walls when the heart contracts (beats) and relaxes.

Question 7

bradycardia

Answer 7

Slow heart rate, usually below 60 beats per minute.

Question 8

bradypnea

Answer 8

Slow respiratory rate, usually below 10 respirations per minute.

Question 9

character

Answer 9

The quality of respirations (for example, deep, shallow, or labored).

Question 10

Cheyne-Stokes

Answer 10

Periods of difficult breathing (dyspnea) followed by periods of no respirations (apnea).

Question 11

clinical thermometers

Answer 11

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.

Question 12

cyanosis

Answer 12

Bluish color of the skin, nail beds, and/or lips due to an insufficient amount of oxygen in the blood.

Question 13

diastolic

Answer 13

Measurement of blood pressure taken when the heart is at rest; measurement of the constant pressure in arteries.

Question 14

dyspnea

Answer 14

Difficult or labored breathing.

Question 15

electronic thermometers

Answer 15

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.