Vital Signs

Question 1

What are the 4 vital signs?

Answer 1

BP, Temperature, pulse, breathing rate

Question 2

What is temperature?

Answer 2

The balance between heat lost and heat produced by the body.

Question 3

How is heat lost?

Answer 3

Perspiration, respiration, excretion

Question 4

What are the ways we produce heat?

Answer 4

Metabolism during digestion and muscle and gland activity

Question 5

What is homeostasis?

Answer 5

Constant state of fluid balance

Question 6

What is affected by temp being too low or too high?

Answer 6

The body’s fluid balance

Question 7

What influences differences in peoples normal range in temp?

Answer 7

Some have lower bc of slower body processes

Some have higher bc of higher processes

Question 8

How does the time of day affect ones temperature?

Answer 8

Lower in morning after sleep and higher in evening after muscle activity and metabolism

Question 9

How does different body sites affect temperature?

Answer 9

Different areas are lower or higher than others

Question 10

How many ways are there to take temperature?

Answer 10

5 places 
Orally
Rectal
Axillary 
Aural 
Temporal

Question 11

What is Hypothermia?

Answer 11

Lower than 95F taken rectally

Death temp is 93F for a period of time

Question 12

What is pyrexia?

Answer 12

Also known as fever
101F taken rectally
Caused by infection or injury

Question 13

What is febrile and afebrile?

Answer 13

Fever present/ no fever present

Question 14

What is hyperthermia?

Answer 14

Higher temp of 104F + taken rectally
Caused by exposure to hot temps, severe infections
Can lead to convulsions or brain damage, even death

Question 15

What is clinical glass therm?

Answer 15

Slender glass tube filled with mercury or alcohol which expands when exposed to heat

Question 16

How should one to attempt to read a clinical glass thermometer?

Answer 16

Eye level

Rotate to find solid column of mercury

Question 17

Why do we write temp as a superscript? Ex 100.2 becomes 100^2

Answer 17

Because numbers can easily mixed up

Question 18

What are the 4 types of thermometers?

Answer 18

Clinical, Electronic, Tympanic, Temporal

Question 19

what is pulse?

Answer 19

The pressure of the blood pushing against the wall of an artery as the heart beats and rests.

Question 20

What is temporal?

Answer 20

Sides of forehead

Question 21

What is carotid?

Answer 21

Neck or side of trachea

Question 22

Brachial?

Answer 22

Crease of elbow

Question 23

Radial?

Answer 23

On wrist

Question 24

Femoral?

Answer 24

Groin

Question 25

Popiteal

Answer 25

Behind knee

Question 26

Dorsalis pedis

Answer 26

Top of foot arch

Question 27

Posterior Tibial

Answer 27

Below and behind medial malleolus

bony inner part of ankle

Question 28

3 things noted on pulse

Answer 28

Rate rhythm and volume

Question 29

Rate?

Answer 29

Is measured by a number of beats per min.
Adults 60-100 bpm
Infants 100-160 bpm

Question 30

Bradycardia

Answer 30

Pulse rate under 60 bpm

Question 31

Tachycardia

Answer 31

Pulse rate over 100 bpm

Question 32

Rhythm

Answer 32

Regularity of pulse

Question 33

Volume

Answer 33

Strength, quality, force

Question 34

What increases pulse rates?

Answer 34

Exercise
Shock
Fever
Excitement

Question 35

What can lower pulse rates

Answer 35

Sleep
Heart dz
Coma

Question 36

What is blood pressure?

Answer 36

Measurement of the pressure that the blood exerts on the walls of the arteries during various heart activity stages

Question 37

What instrument is used for BP?

Answer 37

Sphygmomanometer

Question 38

What is systolic?

Answer 38

In the walls of the arteries when the left ventricle of the heart is contracting and pushing blood into arteries

Question 39

Diastolic BP?

Answer 39

Constant pressure in the walls of the arteries when the left ventricle is at rest

Question 40

How is BP recorded?

Answer 40

As a fraction

Systolic/diastolic

Question 41

What is normal BP

Answer 41

30-50 Hg