Vital Signs Flashcards
What are the different types of vital signs?
Temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure (all within normal, limits to sustain life)
Graphic method
- Shows large amount of info for healthcare pros to easily & quickly access
- Record of vital signs help provide diagnoses & respond to rapidly changing situations
- Using this method: date, temp, pulse rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure can be reduced
Body temperature
Sings of elevated temp
Flushed face, hot skin, unusually bright eyes, restlessness, chills, thirst
Normal range for body temp
Body temp often lowest in morning, highest in late afternoon and evening
Newborns have higher body temp than adults
Elevated body temp: known as _____ (fever), they are said to be _____ .
What does it indicate?
Pyrexia, febrile
Signifies illness, body is fighting infection
Fever terminology
Temp that alternates between fever and normal/subnormal reading
Intermittent fever
Temp that rises several degrees above normal , and returns to normal
Remittent fever
Fever that remains elevated
Constant fever
Sudden drop from fever to normal is called ____
Crisis
Lysis
When elevated temp gradually returns to normal
Relapsing fever
Fever that returns to normal for at least a day, and then occurs again
Lowered body temp, also known as
Hypothermia
What does it mean?
Caused by overexposure to the elements (drowning and cold water)
Clinical vs accidental hypothermia
Clinical is used for surgical procedures while accidental is life threatening and requires immediate treatment
Thermometer
Most common: electronic thermometer
Where to measure?
Oral (O) -mouth
Rectal (R) -anus
Axil.ary (Ax) -armpit
Tympanic (TM) -ear
Temporal (TA) -forehead
How to measure
Ensure entire sensor is covered by tissue, clean thermometers between use
Oral measurement
- Measure within sublingual arteries
- Wait before using if patient has consumed hot or cold drink
- Do not administer if patient is confused, unconscious, uncooperative
- Sublingual space must be sealed when measuring
Rectal measurement
- Highly accurate
- Uncomfortable
- Used for unconscious patients
- Cannot use if patient has rectum cancer, diarrhea colitis
Axillary measurement
- Least accurate
- Used for newborns
- Only use if other methods cannot be used
Tympanic measurement
- Measures thermal radiation given off by tympanic membrane
- Fast recording of temp
Temporal artery measurement
- Newer method (forehead scanner)
- Uses infrared technology to scan temp in artery
- Quickest, noninvasive way
- Very accurate
