Vital signs Flashcards
What should you look for when taking someone’s respiratory rate?
- Was your person breathing slowly or rapidly?
- Were they having to work hard to breathe?
- Were they breathing through their nose or their mouth?
What should you listen for when taking someone’s respiratory rate?
- Did you hear any extra breath sounds?
- Did it sound normal?
- Was the person coughing?
What should you feel for when taking someone’s respiratory rate?
- Did you feel the chest rise and fall?
- What is equal and bilateral?
What should you look for when taking someone’s pulse?
- What was the colour of the person?
- Were they pale?
- Was their skin tone ‘normal’ for them?
What should you feel for when taking someone’s pulse?
- Was the pulse strong or weak?
- Was it bounding or thready?
- What did the person’s skin feel like?
- Were they hot or cold?
- Sweaty or clammy?
What should you look for when taking someone’s blood pressure?
- What was the colour of the person?
- Were they pale?
- Was their skin tone ‘normal’ for them?
What should you listen for when taking someone’s blood pressure?
- Was the person’s blood pressure easy to take?
- Did you clearly hear a karotkoff sound?
What should you feel for when taking someone’s blood pressure?
- Did you find the radial pulse first?
- Did you find the brachial pulse?
- Was it strong or weak?
- What did the person’s skin feel like?
- Were they hot or cold?
- Sweaty or clammy?
In a hospital setting, what people have their vital signs at least every 4 hours?
Patients who have:
- Elevated temperatures
- High or low blood pressures
- Changes in heart rate or rhythm
- Respiratory difficulty
- Had surgery
- Taken medications that affect cardiovascular or respiratory function
When should you assess vital signs?
- Anytime there is a change in a patient’s condition
- Before administering medications that affect cardiovascular or respiratory function
- Before and after any surgical or invasive procedure
- If the patient loses consciousness
- On admission
What is diastolic pressure?
The minimum pressure that is exerted when the heart rests between beats.
What is pulse pressure?
The difference between the systolic and diastolic pressure.
What is systolic pressure?
The maximum pressure that is exerted when the left ventricle ejects blood into the aorta.
What is the average blood pressure of a newborn?
73/55 mmHg
What is the average blood pressure of a 1-3 year old?
90/55 mmHg
What is the average blood pressure of a 6-8 year old?
95/75 mmHg
What is the average blood pressure of a 10 year old?
102/62 mmHg
What is the average blood pressure of a teen?
102/80 mmHg
What is the average blood pressure of an adult?
120/80 mmHg
What is the average blood pressure of an over 70 year old?
120/80 mmHg (may be up to 160/95)
What are the two factors that help maintain normal blood pressure?
- Arterioles are normally partially contracted to create a relatively constant level of peripheral resistance
- Arteries have lots of elastic tissue that allow them to stretch, distend, and recoil between heart beats
How is cardiac output another physiological factor that contributes to blood pressure variations?
Pressure increases when the heart pumps more blood.
How is peripheral vascular resistance another physiological factor that contributes to blood pressure variations?
An increase in resistance also increases blood pressure.
How is circulating blood volume another physiological factor that contributes to blood pressure variations?
Blood pressure increases with volume.
