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Clinical Skills > Vital Signs > Flashcards

Vital Signs Flashcards

1
Q

Mercury thermometers are used how?

A

rectally and orally

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2
Q

Digital thermometers are used how?

A

rectally, orally, and aurally

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3
Q

Paper thermometers can be used how?

A

on kids’ foreheads (the Tempa-DOT)

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4
Q

Temperatures is a mechanism for measuring what?

A

Heat loss and generation

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5
Q

Where will the highest temperature reading be on someone?

A

at their core

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6
Q

Where will the lowest temperature reading be on someone?

A

on their skin

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7
Q

At what time of day will the temperature be the highest?

A

8-11pm

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8
Q

At what time of day will someone’s temperature be the lowest?

A

4-6am

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9
Q

What characterizes an intermittent fever?

A

Episodes of fever separated by days of normal temp

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10
Q

What characterizes a continued fever?

A

daily recurring fever that varies ~ 1-1.5 degrees throughout the day

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11
Q

What characterizes a remittent fever?

A

daily recurring fever that varies > 2 degrees, and none of the variations can be within normal temp

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12
Q

What characterizes a Quotidian fever?

A

fever that recurs daily

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13
Q

What temp characterizes a low-grade fever?

A

37.7 C

100 F

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14
Q

What temp characterizes a high grade fever?

A

38.8 C

102 F

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15
Q

What kinds of things do you evaluate in respiratory rate?

A

rate, rhythm, depth, effort

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16
Q

What is the normal resting rate for an adult?

A

14-18 / min

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17
Q

What is eupnea?

A

normal respiration

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18
Q

What is tachycardia?

A

fast respiration

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19
Q

What is bradypnea?

A

Slow respiration

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20
Q

What is apnea?

A

No respiration

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21
Q

What breathing pattern characterizes hyperventilation?

A

deep respirations

22
Q

What breathing pattern characterizes Kussmaul’s?

A

Fast and deep respirations with no pauses

Happens in DKA

23
Q

What breathing pattern characterizes Cheyne-Stokes?

A

Cyclic pattern of apnea and varied breathing

24
Q

What breathing pattern characterizes Biot’s?

A

Fast and deep respiration with periods of apnea

25
Q

What breathing pattern characterizes apneustic?

A

Long, gasping inspirations and ineffective expirations

26
Q

How do you measure the rate of a pulse?

A

Use radial pulse, count for 30 sec and multiply by 2

27
Q

How do you measure pulse if it is irregular?

A

Count the rate for a full minute

28
Q

What could cause tachycardia?

A

Hemorrhage, fever, anemia, hyperthyroidism, CHF, cardiac dysrhythmias

29
Q

What could cause bradycardia?

A

Cushing’s reflex (due to increased ICP), obstructive jaundice, syncope, complete heart blocks

Highly conditioned athletes

30
Q

What patterns can you find in the heart’s rhythm?

A

regular, regularly irregular, irregularly irregular

31
Q

How would you describe the pulse’s amplitude?

A

Bounding or weak

force of the pulse against your fingers

32
Q

How would you characterize a pulse’s contour?

A

v or w waves

The shape of a pulse’s wave

33
Q

What could cause a volume change in the pulse?

A

inequality of contralateral pulses (due to aneurysm, partial obstruction like the coarctation of the aorta)

weak but equal pulses (due to hypovolemia, which causes weak and thready pulses)

34
Q

What is pulsus alternans?

A

Weak beats alternating with strong beats
Regular rhythm

Due to LV failure

35
Q

What is pulsus bigeminus?

A

2 beats occurring in rapid succession followed by a pause or premature beat with smaller amplitude than the normal sinus contraction

Due to cardiac arrhythmias (premature ventricular contractions)

36
Q

What is pulsus paradoxus?

A

Pulse amplitude that decreases with inspiration and increases with expiration

Due to conditions that impede LV outflow during inspiration (cardiac tamponade, constrictive pericarditis, end stage HF and severe COPD)

37
Q

What is pulsus tardus?

A

Slow pulse rate, gradual upstroke and prolonged, blunted downstroke

Due to severe aortic stenosis

38
Q

Through which arteries can you feel a pulse?

A

temporal, carotid, brachial, radial, ulnar, abdominal, femoral, popliteal, posterior tibial, dorsalis pedis

39
Q

What is the gold standard for monitoring BP?

A

ambulatory bp

40
Q

Definition of HTN

A

Office manual or automated average of 2 readings is > or = 140/90

Home bp > 135/85
Ambulatory: 24 hr > = 130/80; daytime ave > = 135/85; nighttime ave > 120/70

41
Q

What BMI is underweight?

A

< 17

42
Q

What BMI is overweight?

A

> 25

43
Q

What BMI is obese?

A

> 30

44
Q

What situations would indicate an O2 stat?

A

SOB, asthma, CHF, any hypoxia concerns

45
Q

Where can you measure an O2 stat?

A

Finger, toe, ear

46
Q

What does nociceptive or somatic pain indicate?

A

Tissue damage

47
Q

What does neuropathic pain indicate?

A

results from trauma to the PNS or CNS

48
Q

what does centralized sensitization mean?

A

Alteration in the CNS processing of sensation that leads to amplification of pain signals

49
Q

What does psychogenic pain indicate?

A

relates to factors that influence the patient’s pain report

50
Q

What does idiopathic pain mean?

A

pain that has no identifiable etiology

Clinical Skills (5 decks)

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