Vital Signs

Question 0

Pulse

Answer 0

Indirect measure of the contraction of the left ventricle
Indicates the rate at which the heart is beating
With every beat the heart pumps an amount of blood=stroke volume into the aorta
The force of the blood flares the arterial walls and generates a pressure wave is the pulse
Reported as BPM beats per minute
Radial pulse is usually palpated while vitals are measured
Carotid pulse is common site for self check

Question 1

Vital signs

Answer 1

Blood pressure (BP)
Pulse
Respiration rate
Body temperature 
**important because they are indicators of general health or physiological status

Question 2

Normal resting pulse rates

Answer 2

Newborn: avg- 120 BPM, normal limits- 70-190 BPM
Well-conditioned adult: avg- 50-50 BPM, norm- 50-100 BPM
Adult and aging: avg- 74-76 BPM, norm- 60-100 BPM

Bradycardia- heart rate less than 60 BPM.
Trachycardia- heart rate over 100 BPM

Question 3

Respiration

Answer 3

The physical components of respiration produce inflow (inspiration/inhalation) and outflow (expiration/exhalation) of air between the environment and the lungs

Normal respiration rates
Neonatal- 30-40 Breaths per min
Adult- 10-20 breaths per min

Dyspena: labored or difficult breathing
Orthopnea: a condition in which breathing is easier when a person is seated or standing
SOB: shortness of breath
Stridor: a shrill, harsh sound, especially the respiratory sound heard during inspiration in laryngeal obstruction

Question 4

Blood pressure

Answer 4

The force of blood pushing against the side of its container, the vessel wall
The systolic pressure is the maximum pressure felt on the artery during left ventricular contraction
The diastolic pressure is the elastic recoil or resting pressure that the blood exerts constantly between each contraction
Pulse pressure is the difference between systolic and diastolic and reflects the stroke volume
Normal BP values: 120/80 mmHg
Hypotension: abnormally low BP
Orthostatic hypertension: drop in systolic pressure of more than 20 mmHg occurs with quick change to standing position

Question 5

Pulse oximeter

Answer 5

Asses arterial oxygen saturation
Healthy person: 97-98%
Question anything less than 95% in a healthy person and 90% in a patient with some sort of disease