| A | B |
|---|
| vital signs | measurements that serve as indicators of an individual's overall health |
| types of vital signs | temperature; pulse; respiratory rate; blood pressure |
| reasons for taking vital signs | to provide a baseline; to help make a diagnosis; to monitor a patient's condition |
| body tempterature | balance between the heat body cells produce through metabolism and the heat the body loses to the environment |
| core temperature | temperature of vital organs (most accurate for overall health) |
| reasons for temperature variation | time of day, metabolic rate, age, environment, activity, medication, fluid consumption, stress, hormones, food, drink, smoking |
| fever | pyrexia; febrile disease; body temperature higher than normal for an individual |
| signs of fever | temperature, increased heart rate, increased respiratory rate, shivering, complaints of feeling cold, loss of appetite, thirst, malaise, cyanotic nail beds, cold clammy skin |
| locations for taking temperature | oral, axillary, rectal, tympanic |
| oral temperature | place thermometer sublingually; most familiar and comfortable for patients, but less accurate in reading core temp |
| Rectal temperature | place thermometer in rectum; most accurate at reading core temperature |
| Axillary temperature | place thermometer in armpit; least accurate |
| Tympanic or Aural Temperature | place thermometer in ear pointed towards eardrum; most hygienic |
| pulse | measurement of the number of times the heart beats per minute (BPM) |
| apical pulse | pulse measured near the heart using a stethoscope |
| temporal pulse | pulse taken at temples |
| carotid pulse | pulse taken at neck |
| brachial pulse | pulse taken in elbow |
| radial pulse | pulse taken at wrist |
| femoral pulse | pulse taken in groin |
| popliteal pulse | pulse taken behind knee |
| posterior tibial pulse | pulse taken at ankle |
| dorsalis pedis pulse | pulse taken on foot |
| factors affecting pulse | age, body size and weight, gender, exercise and fitness, fever, medications, hemorrhage, stress |
| heart rhythm | pacing of heart contractions |
| regular rhythm | heartbeats are regularly spaced |
| irregular rhythm | heartbeats are skipped or unevenly spaced |
| Pulse volume | measurement of the strength of the pulse |
| strong normal pulse | easily felt, consistent strength, firm pressure obscures pulse |
| strong bounding pulse | can be felt even with firm pressure |
| weak, thready, feeble or frail pulse | not easily felt, moderate pressure obscures pulse |
| respirations | measurement of the rate, depth, and regularity of a patient's breathing (measured in breaths per minute |
| factors increasing respiratory rate | stress, exercise, medications, lung disease, heart disease, hemorrhage, high altitude, obstruction of air passages, pregnancy |
| factors decreasing respiratory rate | sleep, medications, brain diseases, decreased CO2 in blood, relaxation |
| blood pressure | force exerted by the blood on the walls of the arteries as the heart contracts and relaxes; measured in mmHg |
| systolic | blood pressure reading when the heart (ventricles) are contracting |
| diastolic | blood pressure reading when the heart (ventricles) are relaxed |
| hypertension | reading of over 140 systolic or 90 diastolic |
| hypotension | reading of under 100 systolic, or 60 diastolic |
| sphygmomanometer | blood pressure cuff |
| stethoscope | device used to listen to body |
| factors affecting blood pressure | size and weight, fitness, smoking, diet, stress, medication, posture, pain, time of day, age |
