Vitals Flashcards
What is acute care?
An inpatient hospital setting for individuals with critical medical conditions
What is the primary goal of acute care?
To stabilize the patient’s medical status and address life-threatening issues
What are three examples of acute care practice settings?
- Pre and post-surgical units
- Step-down units
- Intensive-care units
What is a chart review?
The process of finding critically relevant information about your patient prior to treating them
What are the four main reasons we chart review?
- To determine if your patient is physiologically stable for treatment
- To identify if your patient has any precautions
- To guide your interview
- To identify yellow/ red flags
What are 8 things to look for in a chart review?
- PT or OT consult
- Current and past medical history (PMH) or history and physical (H&P)
- Precautions
- Lab Values
- Vitals
- Medications
- Operative and imaging reports
- Progress notes
What does the term “physiological stability” mean?
A dynamic state of a living organism characterized by the maintenance of one or more physiological parameters within value ranges that vary only slightly in the presence of disruptive elements
A patients’ vital signs and physical signs should be monitored ______, ______, and ______, activity to assess tolerance.
Before, During, After
What is the most important parameter in progressing a task?
A patient’s physiological response
When can a patients level of activity be progressed?
When vital signs and symptoms are acceptable at the existing level of activity
What are the 5 main vital signs we are paying attention to?
- Heart Rate (HR)
- Oxygen Saturation (SP02%)
- Respiration Rate (RR)
- Blood Pressure (BP)
- Body Temperature
Heart rate is an indirect measure of contraction of what ventricle in the heart?
Left Ventricle
What does BPM stand for?
Beats per Minute
What is the normal heart rate value for an adult?
60 to 100 BPM
What is the normal heart rate value for a child (1 to 10 years of age)?
70 to 130 bpm
What is the normal heart rate value for a newborn?
100 to 150 bpm
What would be signs of intolerance for heart rate?
< 50 bpm or > 130 bpm
What are the 7 sites that we can assess heart rate at?
- Temporal
- Carotid
- Brachial
- Radial
- Femoral
- Popliteal
- Dorsal Pedal
What is a normal blood oxygen saturation?
95 - 100%
What oxygen saturation would represent hypoxemia?
< 90%