| A | B |
|---|
| Apnea | temporary cessation of breathing; absence of spontaneous respirations |
| Auscultation | listening for sounds produced within the body; may be performed directly or with a stethoscope |
| Bradycardia | unusually slow heartbeat evidenced by slowing of the pulse rate |
| Diastole | the phase of the cardiac cycle in which the heart relaxes between contractions and the two ventricles are dilated by the blood flowing into them; diastolic pressure is the lowest blood pressure |
| Hypertension | systolic blood pressure of 140 mm Hg or higher and diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or higher |
| Hyperthermia | higher than normal body temperature |
| Hypotension | systolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or lower and diastolic blood pressure of 60 mm Hg or lower |
| Hypothermia | lower than normal body temperature |
| Korotkoff sounds | the sounds heard during the determination of blood pressure; sounds originating within the blood passing through the vessel or produced by vibratory motion of the arterial wall |
| Normotensive | normal tension or tone; of or pertaining to having normal blood pressure |
| Postural hypotension | a decrease in standing systolic blood pressure greater than 10 mm Hg; associated with dizziness or fainting; more frequently seen in older patients with systolic hypertension and those taking certain prescription medications |
| Pulse pressure | the difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure; normally 40 mm Hg |
| Pyrexia | an abnormal elevation of the body temperature above 37 degrees C and 98.6 degrees F |
| Stethoscope | instrument used to hear and amplify the sounds produced by the heart, lungs, and other internal organs |
| Systole | the contraction, or phase of contraction, of the heart, especially the ventricles, during which blood is forced into the aorta and the pulmonary artery; systolic pressure is the highest, or greatest pressure |
| Tachycardia | unusually fast heartbeat; at a rate of greater than 100 bpm |
| White-coat hypertension | elevated blood pressure as a result of feeling anxious in a medical environment |
| Bradypnea | a respiration rate of 12/min or less |
| Tachypnea | a respiration rate of 28/ min or more, if over 60/ min it is extremely dangerous |
