Vitals & Definitions Flashcards
Taylor's Clinical Nursing Skills Chapter 1
afebrile
A condition in which the body temperature is not elevated
apnea
Absence of breathing
bell (of stethoscope)
The hollowed, upright, curved portion used to auscultate low-pitched sounds (such as murmurs)
blood pressure (BP)
The force of blood against the arterial walls
bradycardia
Slow heart rate
bradypnea
Abnormally slow rate of breathing
diaphragm (of stethoscope)
The large, flat disk on the stethoscope used to auscultate high-pitched sounds, such as respiratory sounds
diastolic pressure
The least amount of pressure exerted on arterial walls, which occurs when the heart is at rest between ventricular contractions
dyspnea
Difficult or labored breathing
dysrhythmia
An abnormal cardiac rhythm; synonym is arrhythmia
arrhythmia
An abnormal cardiac rhythm; synonym is dysrhythmia
eupnea
Normal respirations
expiration
The act of breathing out; synonym is exhalation
exhalation
The act of breathing out; synonym is expiration
febrile
A condition in which the body temperature is elevated
hyperpyrexia
High fever, above 105.8ºF (41ºC)
hypertension
Blood pressure elevated above the upper limit of normal
hypotension
Blood pressure below the lower limit of normal
hypothermia
Body temperature below the lower limit of normal
inspiration
The act of breathing in; synonym is inhalation
inhalation
The act of breathing in; synonym is inspiration
Korotkoff sounds
The series of sounds that correspond to changes in blood flow through an artery as pressure is released