| A | B |
|---|
| afebrile | absence of fever |
| afterload | force against which the heart pumps when ejecting blood |
| antipyretics | drugs that reduce fever |
| apical heart rate | number of ventricular contractions per minute |
| apical-radial rate | number of sounds heard at the apex of the heart & rate of radial pulse during the same period |
| apnea | absence of breathing |
| arrhythmia | irregular pattern of heartbeats |
| auscultatory gap | period during which sound disappears, then reappears when taking a BP |
| automated monitoring devices | equipment that allows the simultaneous collection of multiple vital sign data |
| blood pressure | force exerted by blood in the arteries |
| bradycardia | pulse rate < 60 beats per minute in adults |
| bradypnea | slower-than-normal respiratory rate at rest |
| cardiac output | volume of blood ejected from the left ventricle per minute |
| centigrade scale | scale using 0 degrees C as the temperature at which water freezes & 100 degrees C as the point at which water boils |
| cerumen | ear wax |
| pulse | wave-like sensation that can be palpated in a peripheral artery |
| pulse deficit | difference between the apical & radial pulse rates |
| pulse pressure | difference between systolic & diastolic BP measurements |
| pulse rate | number of peripheral arterial pulsations palpated in a minute |
| pulse rhythm | pattern of the pulsations & pauses between them |
| preload | volume of blood that fills the heart & stretches the heart muscle fibers during its resting phase |
| postural hypotension | sudden but temporary drop in BP when rising from a reclining/seated position |
| piloerection | contraction of arrector pili muscles in skin follicles |
| palpitation | awareness of one's own heart contraction without having to feel the pulse |
