Med Careers- Chapter 20

4 measured vital signs

temperature, pulse, blood pressure, and respiration

factors that may influence vital signs

anxiety, nervousness, drinking a hot/cold beverage, being in a hurry to get to an appointment, being in pain

4 anthromorphic measurements

height, weight, BMI, and infant head circumference

what is body temp and why is it measured

it is the internal temp of the body and it is measured to ensure that the body is healthy and has good regulation

5 factors that can affect body temp measurement

gender, age, stress, physical activity, and external factors

intermittent fever

-come and go

-fluctuates between elevated and normal temperatures

intermittent fever causes

viral infections and acute bacterial endocarditis

continuous fever

-stays above the normal range but fluctuates about 3 degrees or less

continuous fever causes

viral and bacterial infections

remittent fever

-fluctuate considerably

-never return to normal

remittent fever causes

pyogenic focal infections, tuberculosis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis

continuous

intermittent

remittent

Temperature measurement sites

oral, axillary, rectal, ear, forehead

Celsius → Fahrenheit formula

(C x 1.8) + 32

Fahrenheit → Celsius formula

(F - 32)/ 1.8

avg TEMP adult AXILLARY

97.6 F

avg TEMP adult ORAL

98.6 F

avg TEMP adult TYMPANIC(ear membrane)

99.6 F

avg TEMP adult RECTAL

99.6 F

avg TEMP adult TEMPORAL ARTERY(forehead)

99.6 F

What is pulse and why is it important to measure

Pulse= number of times your heart beats per minute, important because it shows heart health

Pulse measurement sites

carotid artery

radial artery

brachial artery

dorsalis pedis artery

politeal artery

femoral artery

posterior tibial artery

pulse characteristics

rhythm, rate, volume

pulse vol. 3+

strong, full, bounding pulse, does not disappear w/ moderate pressure

pulse vol. 2+

normal pulse, disappears with moderate pressure

pulse vol. 1+

weak, thready pulse, not easily detected, disappears with light pressure

pulse rate

heartbeats felt as blood moves through the artery

rhythm

time between pulse beats

volume

strength of heart as it contracts

Newborn pulse rate

120-160

avg: 140

1-2 y/o pulse rate

80-140

avg: 120

3-6 y/o pulse rate

75-120

avg: 100

7-11 y/o pulse rate

75-110

avg: 95

adolescence-adulthood pulse rate

60-100

avg: 80

respiration and counting

inhalation and expiration

counted by measuring the number of breaths per minute (don’t mention you’re counting them!)

newborn respirations

30-50

avg: 40

1-3 y/o respirations

20-30

avg: 25

4-6 y/o respirations

18-26

avg: 22

7-11 y/o respirations

16-22

avg: 19

adolescence-adulthood respirations

12-20

avg: 16

blood pressure

the force of blood on the body wall as it is pumped throughout the body

factors affecting blood pressure

blood volume & viscosity, vessel elasticity, and the condition of heart muscle and arterial walls

Normal BP

<120-80 mm Hg

Elevated BP (hypertension)

systolic: 120-129

AND 

diastolic: <80 mm Hg

Stage 1 (hypertension)

systolic: 130-139

OR

diastolic: 80-89 mm Hg

Stage 2 (hypertension)

systolic: >/= 140

OR

diastolic: >/= 90 mm Hg

Hypertensive Crisis (hypertension)

systolic: >180

AND/OR

diastolic: >120 mm Hg

Korotkoff stages: Phase I

-sound heard as cuff deflates

-tapping sound

-systolic pressure

Korotkoff stages: Phase II

-swishing sound

-blood flow becomes more turbulent

Korotkoff stages: Phase III

-sharp, rhythmic tapping

-blood flow continues to increase

Korotkoff stages: Phase IV

-soft, muffled tapping

-artery resists collapsing

Korotkoff stages: Phase V

-all sounds disappear

-artery is no longer compressed

-marks diastolic pressure

pulse oximetry

provides information on pulse rate and oxygen saturation of blood

NORMAL= 95% or higher

kilograms → lbs

Kg x 2.2

lbs → kilograms

lbs x .45