vs Flashcards
indicators of the bodies ability to maintain homeostasis
vital signs
the process by which living organisms maintain a stable internal environment, despite changes in the external surroundings
homeostasis
What are vital signs?
- Temperature
- Pulse
- Respiration
- Blood Pressure
- Oxygen Saturation
- Pain
When to measure vital sign?
- On admission to health care facility
- In a hospital on regular hosp schedule or as
ordered (q8hours, q4 hours, etc) - Before and after procedures (surgery, invasive
diagnostic procedures, medications) - Before, during, and after blood transfusions
- When patient’s general condition changes
(nursing judgment
Guidelines For Taking Vital Signs
* Taken by nurse giving care
* Equipment should be in good condition
* Know baseline VS and normal range for pt and
a g e group
* Know pt’s medical history
* Minimize environmental factors
* Be organized in approach
* Increase frequency of VS as condition worsens
* Compare VS readings with the whole picture
& Record accurately
* Describe any abnormal VS
difference between heat produced by body processes and the heat loss to the external environment
Heat produced - Heat lost =
Body Temperature
The warmth of the body
body temperature
warmth at skin surface (Ex. Temperature of armpit or axilla)
Shell Temperature
warmth in deep tissues within the body (Ex. Pulmonary artery, more reliable indicator of body temperature)
Core Temperature
What are the two types of temperature?
Shell temperature and core temperature
it is regulated by balancing the amount of heat the body produces with the amount of heat the body loses
body temperature
it is produced as a buy product of metabolism, which is the sum of all biochemical and physiological process that take place in the body
body heat
The __________ , a gland located in the brain, acts
as a ___________.
hypothalamus, thermoregulator
promotes heat loss through vasodilation and sweating
anterior hypothalamus
promotes
- Heat conservation by vasoconstriction
- Heat production
posterior hypothalamus
Transfer of heat between two objects without physical contact; (65 percent of the body’s heat is released this way)
Radiation
Dispersion/ transfer of heat away from the body by air currents; (10-15 percent of heat is released through this method)
Convection
Transfer of heat from one object to another with direct contact (e.g., when a patient with high fever is given sponge with cool water)
Conduction
Transfer of heat energy when a liquid is changed to gas (breathing) and sweating
Evaporation
- Adjusting where blood circulates by vasoconstriction
- Causing piloerection (goose bumps or flesh)
- Promoting a muscle shivering response
heat conservation
- Increasing metabolism ~ thyroid hormone
- Releasing epinephrine and norepineprine
Heat Production (thermogenesis)
True or False?
body temperature is lower in the morning upon walking when metabolism is still low
true
true or false?
The body’s temperature is lowest between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.,
and the body’s highest temperature usually occurs in the evening between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
true
what is the temperature of a new born?
36.5 - 37.5’C
temperature of an adult?
36.5 - 37.5’C
98.6’F
what are the factors affecting body temperature?
Time of day, age, gender, physical exercise, emotions, pregnancy, environmental changes, infection, drugs, food
°C = ( ° F - 32) x 5 / 9
°F = (°C x 9 / 5) + 32
Body temperature can be measured in?
oral (mouth
aural (ear)
tympanic membrane (eardrum)
axillary (armpit)
rectal (rectum)
temporal artery (forehead)
oral - 98.6
rectal- 99.6
axillary- 97.6
tympanic- 98.6
temporal- 98.6
normal values
