| A | B |
|---|
| aural | temperature taken in ear canal |
| axillary | temperature taken in armpit |
| blood pressure | force exerted by blood against the arterial walls when heart contracts or relaxes |
| bradycardia | pulse rate under 60 beats per minute |
| cheyne-stokes | periods of difficulty breathing followed by periods of no breathing |
| diastolic | measurement of blood pressure when heart is at rest; constant pressure in arteries |
| dyspnea | difficult or labored breathing |
| hypertension | high blood pressure |
| hypothermia | low body temperature below 95 degrees |
| pulse | pressure of the blood felt against the wall of an artery as the heart contracts and relaxes |
| pyrexia | another term for fever |
| rale | bubbling or noisy sounds caused by fluids or mucus in air passages |
| rate | number per minute; as with pulse and respirations |
| respirations | process of taking in oxygen(inspiration) and expelling carbon dioxide(expiration) by way of lungs and air passages |
| rhythm | regularity |
| sphygmomanometer | instrument calibrated for measuring blood pressure in millimeters of mercury |
| stethoscope | instrument used for listening to internal body sounds |
| tachycardia | pulse rate over 100 bpm |
| temperature | balance between heat lost and heat produced by the body |
| vital signs | various determinations that provide information about basic body condition |
| volume | degree of strength of pulse |
| wheezing | difficulty breathing with a high pitched whistling or sighing sound during expiration |
| apnea | absence of respirations |
| systolic | measurement of blood pressure when heart is contracting forcing blood in arteries |
| arrhythmia | irregular or abnormal rhythm caused by a defect in electrical conduction pattern |
