Vital signs Flashcards
Febrile
fever
Afebrile
no fever/ not feverish
Measuring and recording a patient’s vital signs accurately is important as this gives an indication of ——
the patient’s physiological state
Vital signs often show the first sign of ___________ or ____________ in the patient.
illness, disease
These numbers provide critical information (hence the name “________”) about a patient’s state of health.
vital
There are ____ vital signs:
5
Normal Range of temp:
36 - 37.5 degrees celsius
Ways to measure temperature:
oral, rectal, tympanic (ear), axillary (arm pit)
Above 37.5 degrees C
illness/infection? hot environment?
Mildly low temp:
depressed? tired? not eating?
Below 35 degrees C
cold enviorment?
temperature for fever
38 degrees C
Respirations Definition
The process of taking in oxygen (inspiration) and expelling carbon dioxide
Normal Range of respiration:
16-20 respirations / min
Below 10
bradypnea. asleep? fit? drugs/alcohol?
Above 25
tachypnea. Blood loss? anxious? exercising?
Difficulty Breathing
dyspnea. obstruction? pain? trauma? heart disease
How to measure respirations
watch their chest rise and fall for 1 min. one rise and fall is one respiration
trick for measuring respirtations
pretend you are taking their pulse so they don’t alter breathing
Pulse
the rhythmic dilation of an artery that results from beating of the heart.
how is pulse measured
feeling the arteries at various pulse points
average pulse rate
60-100
what does lower heart rate generally apply
a lower heart rate at rest implies more efficient heart function and better cardiovascular fitness
example of low heart rate
a well trained athlete might have a normal resting heart rate closer to 40 beats a minute
