Vital Signs Flashcards
Vital Definition
essential or necessary
What are commonly considered vital signs?
Body Temp., pulse, respirations, blood pressure
What are vital signs for?
Helps doctors
diagnose diseases and
evaluate how well
treatments are working
Temperature
a measure of his or her
body heat; regulated by the hypothalamus in the brain
Pyrexia (fever)
caused
by the body heating up to
try to protect itself
Locations where body
temperature can be taken
– Oral
– Rectal (more accurate)
– Axillary
– Tympanic
– Temporal arteries (more accurate)
Non-digital thermometers
used for oral, rectal,
or axillary temperatures; read by looking at the
thermometer’s scale; important to leave the
thermometer in place for
the prescribed amount of
time
Digital thermometers
used for oral, rectal, or
axillary temperatures; digital display; probe that is inserted to measure
temperature
Disposable oral
thermometers
used to reduce the risk
of infection; dots on the
thermometer change
color to show the body
temperature
Tympanic Thermometers
measures the temperature
on the eardrum; usually
battery-operated and
have a digital display; Placement is very
important to get an
accurate reading
Temporal Artery Thermometers
measure the
temperature of arteries on
either side of the head; can also be used to measure
temporal artery temperature
Pulse
pressure of
the blood against the wall
of an artery as the heart
beats
What does a pulse tell you?
how well the cardiovascular
system is working
Pulse Locations
Three commonly used
pulse locations
– Radial pulse (located on the radial artery at the wrist)
– Apical pulse (taken
by using a stethoscope)
– Carotid pulse
Parts of a Stethoscope
– Two earpieces
– Rubber or plastic tubing
– A brace that connects the
tubing to the earpieces
– A diaphragm that
magnifies the sound
– A bell that can detect
fainter sounds
Pulse Rate
measured by counting the number of beats in one minute
Bradycardia
a slow pulse rate of less than 60 beats per minute
Tachycardia
a fast pulse rate of over 100 beats per minute
Respiration
the measurement of a
patient’s breathing cycle; determines the level of
oxygen in the blood
How to measure respiration?
record the number of full
breaths taken in one minute; best to count the respiration rate immediately after the pulse
normal adult respiratory
rate
12 to 20 breaths
per minute
pulse oximeter
measures how well oxygen is being
used in the body; applied
to the patient’s finger; uses infrared light that passes through the body
tissue
normal reading for oxygen in the blood
95 percent to 100 percent
hypoxia
below 85 percent oxygen in blood
Blood pressure
a measure of the force of the blood pushing against the body’s arterial walls
Hypotension
can mean the body
is not getting enough oxygen and nutrients
Hypertension
may place too much pressure on the walls of the arteries
Measuring Blood Pressure
Two pressure levels are
measured as the heart beats
* Systolic: the heart muscle
contracts
* Diastolic: the heart muscle
relaxes
measured using a stethoscope and a
sphygmomanometer
Factors Affecting Blood Pressure
– Diet
– Weight
– Exercise
– Race
– Time of reading
– Body position
– Cigarettes, alcohol,
drugs, and medication
– Stress, fear, or pain
What are three main types of devices used to
measure blood pressure? Describe each one.
- Manual aneroid sphygmomanometer
– Uses a round dial with a needle that points to numbers - Manual mercury manometer
– Uses a column of mercury that rises and falls - Electronic sphygmomanometer
– Uses a digital display; does not require a stethoscope
Tracking height and
weight determines?
– Nutritional status
– Medication dosages
– General health status
Measuring Height
feet (′) and inches (′′) or in
centimeters (cm)
Can be measured by
having the patient stand on
a scale or a tape measure can be used
Measuring Weight
often used to calculate
medication dosages;
should be measured at the same time each day; A lift or a bed scale may be
needed for some patients
