Vital Signs Flashcards
What are the factors that affect vital signs?
medications, illness/infection, age, hypovolemia/dehydration, environment, PO intake, hormones, circadian rhythm
What is the normal range for temperature and where are the sites?
36-38 degrees and at oral, axillary, temporal, tympanic, rectal
-core temperature is at the pulmonary artery
Pyrexia
fever– occurs when the heat-loss mechanisms are unable to keep pace with excess heat production
Hyperthermia
when the body is unable to release excess heat, resulting in a high temperature
Hyperpyrexia
is a very high fever 41 degrees or higher
Febrile
when a client has an elevated temperature, they are “febrile”– describes the client and not the temperature itself
Afebrile
descriptive word for when a client does NOT have a fever– describes the client and not the temperature itself
Hypothermia
occurs when the body temperature is 36 degrees or less–can be classified as mild or severe
What causes the pulse?
forceful contraction that pumps blood out of the left ventricle to the periphery of the body
What is the cardiac output (CO)?
the volume of blood pumped in one minute– about 5L
What is the average heart rate for an adult?
60-100 bpm
What is stroke volume?
the amount of blood that enters the aorta with each ventricular contraction– usually 60-70mL
Tachycardia
an abnormally fast heart rate of greater than 100bpm– can be caused by exercise, fever (and heat), anxiety, medications, etc.
Bradycardia
a slow heart rate of less than 60bpm– can be caused by long-term exercise, hypothermia, relaxation, medications. etc.
Pulse deficit
a difference between the apical and radial pulse rate– can be caused by cardiovascular disease
Apical-radial pulse deficit
same as pulse deficit, it is the difference between apical and radial pulse rates
Are inspiration and expiration active or inactive processes?
inspiration is an active process because the diaphragm contracts, and expiration is inactive because the muscles relax
Eupnea
normal breathing– 12-20 R/min, effortless, automatic, quiet and regular
What is the RR for a newborn?
30-60 R/min and then gradually slows as they grow older
Tachypnea
a fast rate of breathing >20 R/min
Bradypnea
a slow rate of breathing <12 breaths per minute
Hyperventilation
rapid and deep respirations which may result in hypocardia (decreased CO2)
Hypoventilation
slow and usually shallow breathing which may result in hypercardia (increased CO2)
Dyspnea
difficult/laboured breathing, breathlessness, an unsatisfied need for air– the clinical manifestation of hypoxia
Orthopnea
the ability to breath only in an upright, standing, or tripod position
What does pulse oximetry measure?
is measures the ratio of oxygen in the blood that is combined with hemoglobin to the total amount of oxygen that the hemoglobin molecule can carry– indicates the clients oxygenation status (ideal range is 95-100%)
What affects the O2 rating?
nail polish, impaired circulation, movement such as shivering, etc.– carbon monoxide tricks the oximeter into providing good readings of O2 because the oximeter can’t differentiate between O2 and CO
Hypoxia
inadequate tissue oxygenation at the cellular level– can be caused by conditions like anemia
Hypoxemia
below normal level of O2 in your blood, specifically in your arteries from conditions such as COPD
- Who should wear a gown?
a. Someone who feels cold.
b. A healthcare worker giving a patient a
bath.
c. A patient going to the cafeteria.
d. A healthcare worker who is doing an
activity that may cause sprays of body
fluids.
D
- When should you wear gloves?
a. When you want to avoid performing
hand hygiene.
b. When your hands may contact blood or
body fluids.
c. When you walk down the hall to get a
clean bed pan.
d. When washing a patient’s intact skin
B
- Where is the patient’s environment?
a. A patient’s home.
b. A personal care home.
c. The bed space around an occupied
stretcher in the Emergency
Department.
d. All of the above
D
- What is included in Personal Protective
Equipment for Routine Practices?
a. Safety glasses, long sleeved gowns,
gloves, masks.
b. Safety glasses, short sleeved gowns,
gloves, masks.
c. Prescription glasses, long sleeved gowns,
gloves, masks.
d. All of the above.
A
- A mask may be left dangling around your neck.
a. True
b. False
False
What is blood pressure?
the pressure exerted on arterial walls by the force of the heart’s contraction– the pressure rises and falls during the cardiac cycle
What is systole?
the systolic blood pressure is the top (and bigger) number in bp– it is the highest pressure on the arterial walls and occurs during heart contraction
What is diastole?
the diastolic pressure is the lower and smaller of the two numbers in a bp reading– the lowest pressure in the arteries during the brief rest period
What is pulse pressure?
the difference between these numbers and is normally somewhere between 30-50 mmHg
When can you not use someone’s arm for taking bp?
if they have had a mastectomy on that side, dialysis fistula or graft, an IV infusion, if the arm is painful or swollen, or if there is a cast or injury
What are the BP values?
optimal– 120/80
normal– 130/85
hypertension– >135/85
hypotension– <90mmHg
Orthostatic hypotension
also known as postural hypotension– when you measure their bp as they change positions to see if they are a fall risk
