Vital Signs Vocabulary

Question 1

apnea

Answer 1

temporary or transient cessation of breath

Question 2

auscultatory gap

Answer 2

temporary disappearance of sounds usually heard over the brachial artery, occurring when the cuff pressure is high and is gradually reduced, with the sounds again heard at a lower level of pressure (usually occurring in patients who have hypertension)

Question 3

axillary

Answer 3

pertaining to the axilla, the cavity beneath the junction of a forelimb and the body; also called the armpit or the underarm

Question 4

brachial pulse

Answer 4

beating or throbbing felt over the brachial artery, usually palpated in the antecubital space

Question 5

bradycardia

Answer 5

an abnormally slow pulse rate, usually fewer than 60 beats per minute in an adult

Question 6

bradypnea

Answer 6

ab abnormally slow respiratory rate, usually fewer than 12 breaths per minute in adults

Question 7

cardiac output

Answer 7

the amount of blood pumped into the arteries by the heart during one minute; the product of the heart rate and the stroke volume

Question 8

Celsius

Answer 8

relating to the international thermometric scale on which 0° is the freezing point and 100° is the boiling point; centigrade

Question 9

centigrade

Answer 9

relating to the international thermometric scale on which 0° is the freezing point and 100° is the boiling point; Celsius

Question 10

core temperature

Answer 10

the amount of heat in the deep tissues and structures of the body, such as the liver

Question 11

diastolic pressure

Answer 11

the force exerted when the heart is at rest in between each beat; the lowest pressure exerted against the arterial walls at all times

Question 12

dyspnea

Answer 12

difficult or labored breathing

Question 13

eupnea

Answer 13

normal respiration

Question 14

Fahrenheit

Answer 14

realting to the temperature scale on which 32° is the freezing point and 212° is the boiling point

Question 15

febrile

Answer 15

feverish; pertaining to a fever

Question 16

fever

Answer 16

an elevated body temperature

Question 17

hypertension

Answer 17

a common cardiovascular disorder, often with no symptoms, in which the blood exerts and abnormal amount of force on the inside walls of the arteries persistently and blood pressure reading are elevated

Question 18

hypotension

Answer 18

a condition in which blood pressure false below the normal range; not usually considered a problem unless it causes symptoms, such as dizziness or fainting

Question 19

Korotkoff sounds

Answer 19

A eerie of five sounds (four sounds followed by an absence of sound) heard during the auscultatory determination of blood pressure and produced by sudden distention of the artery because of the proximally placed pneumatic cuff

Question 20

orthopnea

Answer 20

ability to breathe without difficulty only when in an upright position (sitting upright or standing)

Question 21

orthostatic hypotension

Answer 21

a sudden drop in blood pressure resulting from a change in position, usually when standing up from a sitting or reclining position and often causing dizziness

Question 22

oximetry

Answer 22

determination of the oxygen saturation of arterial blood using a photoelectric device

Question 23

oxygen saturation

Answer 23

a clinical measurement of the percentage of hemoglobin that is bound with oxygen in the blood

Question 24

palpitation

Answer 24

the application of the fingers with light pressure to the surface of the body to determine the condition of the underlying parts

Question 25

pulse deficit

Answer 25

the difference between the apical and radial pulse rates

Question 26

pulse pressure

Answer 26

the difference between the systolic and the diastolic blood pressure

Question 27

radial pulse

Answer 27

beating or throbbing felt over the radial artery, usually palpated over the groove along the thumb side of the inner wrist

Question 28

S1

Answer 28

the first heart sound, heard when the atrioventricular (mitral and tricuspid) valves close

Question 29

S2

Answer 29

the second heart sound, heard when the semilunar (aortic an pulmonic) valves close

Question 30

Sims’ position

Answer 30

a side-lying position with the lowermost arm behind the body and the uppermost leg flexed

Question 31

stethoscope

Answer 31

a device used to convert sounds produced in the body to the listener’s ears

Question 32

stroke volume

Answer 32

the amount of blood entering the aorta with each ventricular contraction

Question 33

systolic pressure

Answer 33

the amount of force exerted within the arteries while the heart is actively pumping or contracting; the maximum pressure exerted against the arterial walls

Question 34

tachycardia

Answer 34

an abnormally fast pulse rate, usually above 100 beats per minute in an adult

Question 35

tachypnea

Answer 35

an abnormally fast respiratory rate, usually more than 20 breaths per minute in an adult

Question 36

tympanic

Answer 36

pertaining the the ear canal or eardrum (tympanic membrane)

Question 37

vital signs

Answer 37

measurements of physiological functioning, specifically temperature, pulse, respirations, and blood pressure, but may also include pain and pulse oximetry

Question 38

atipyretic

Answer 38

an agent that reduced fever