Vital Signs and Medical Terminology

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering vital signs, their normal ranges, and related medical terminology based on the lecture notes.

Vital Signs

Objective clinical measurements of the body's essential physiological functions used to establish baseline data, detect abnormalities, monitor treatment response, and identify emergencies.

Temperature (T)

The degree of body heat balance; the normal adult range is $36.5^\circ\text{C}-37.5^\circ\text{C}$.

Pulse (P)

The rhythmic expansion of arteries caused by heart contraction, measuring the heart rate in beats per minute ($bpm$).

Respiration (R)

The process of breathing, measured as the number of breaths per minute; the normal adult range is $12-20\,\text{breaths/min}$.

Blood Pressure (BP)

The force exerted by blood against arterial walls; the normal range is less than $120/80\,\text{mmHg}$.

Oxygen Saturation (SpO2)

The percentage of oxygen carried by hemoglobin in the blood, measured using a pulse oximeter with a normal range of $95-100\%$.

Systolic Pressure

The pressure exerted against the arterial walls during ventricular contraction.

Diastolic Pressure

The pressure exerted against the arterial walls during ventricular relaxation.

Bradycardia

A heart rate that is below $60\,bpm$.

Tachycardia

A heart rate that is above $100\,bpm$.

Bradypnea

A respiratory rate that is below the normal range.

Tachypnea

A respiratory rate that is above the normal range.

Apnea

The absence of breathing.

Pyrexia

Also known as fever; it refers to an elevated body temperature of $\ge 38^\circ\text{C}$.

Hyperthermia

An elevated body temperature exceeding $40^\circ\text{C}$.

Hypothermia

A low body temperature below $35^\circ\text{C}$.

Hypertension

High blood pressure, defined as $\ge 140/90\,\text{mmHg}$.

Hypotension

Low blood pressure, defined as $< 90/60\,\text{mmHg}$.

Arrhythmia

An irregular heartbeat.

Orthostatic Hypotension

A sudden drop in blood pressure encountered when moving to a standing position.

Normothermia

The medical term for a normal body temperature.

Severe hypoxemia

An oxygen saturation (SpO2) level below $90\%$ that requires immediate medical attention.

Sphygmomanometer

The equipment used in conjunction with a stethoscope to measure blood pressure.

Dyspnea

A medical term related to respiration assessment indicating difficult or labored breathing.

Orthopnea

A medical term related to respiration assessment indicating difficulty breathing unless in an upright position.