Vital Signs, Oxygen, Chest Tubes, and Lines Practice Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering vital signs, homeostasis, oxygen therapy devices, and thoracic tubes and lines based on the lecture material.

Homeostasis

A relative constancy in the internal environment of the body that is naturally maintained by adaptive responses.

Vital Signs

Primary mechanisms that adapt to responses, inside or outside the body, to maintain homeostasis; collectively these are body temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate.

Apnea

Cessation of spontaneous ventilation.

Atelectasis

Absence of gas from part or the whole of the lungs as a result of failure of expansion or reabsorption of gas from the alveoli.

Auscultation

Listening to sounds of the body, typically through the use of a stethoscope.

Body Temperature

Measurement of the degree of heat of the deep tissues of the human body, with a normal mean of approximately $98.6^{\circ}F$ ($37^{\circ}C$).

Bradycardia

Slowness of the heartbeat as evidenced by slowing of the pulse rate to less than $60\,\text{beats per minute (BPM)}$.

Bradypnea

Abnormal slowness of breathing; often results from depression of the respiratory center of the brain.

Diaphoresis

Profuse sweating initiated by the hypothalamus to dissipate body heat.

Diastolic

Pertaining to dilation, or a period of relaxation of the heart (especially the ventricles); the constant pressure exerted on the arterial vessels when the heart is relaxed.

Dyspnea

Difficult or labored breathing.

Febrile

A state of pertaining to or being characterized by fever; exists when oral temperature is higher than $99.5^{\circ}F$.

Hypertension

Persistently high arterial blood pressure, defined as a persistent elevation greater than $140/90\,\text{mm Hg}$.

Hyperthermia

Abnormally high body temperature, often seen when oral temperature exceeds $99.5^{\circ}F$.

Hypotension

Abnormally low blood pressure, defined as less than $95/60\,\text{mm Hg}$; seen in shock but not necessarily indicative of it.

Hypothermia

Low body temperature below the normal range, which can be accidental or medically induced to decrease metabolic demands.

Hypoxemia

Decreased oxygen tension (concentration) in the blood.

Hypoxia

Reduction of oxygen supply to the tissue; the brain, heart, lungs, and liver are most sensitive to this state.

Intubation

Insertion of a tubular device into a canal, hollow organ, or cavity, such as the insertion of an endotracheal tube into the trachea.

Orthopnea

Difficulty breathing except when sitting up or standing erect.

Pleural Effusion

Increased amounts of fluid within the pleural cavity, usually the result of inflammation.

Pneumothorax

Presence of air or gas in the pleural cavity, resulting in a loss of negative pressure and potential lung collapse.

Pulse Oximeter

Noninvasive photoelectric device used for determining the oxygen saturation of arterial blood ($SpO_2$); normal values for a healthy person are $95\%$ to $100\%$.

Respiration

The action of inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide during breathing; the normal range at rest is $12$ to $20\,\text{breaths/min}$ for adults.

Sphygmomanometer

Instrument for measuring blood pressure, consisting of a cuff, tubing, a valve, a bulb, and a manometer.

Systolic

Pertaining to tightening, or a period of contraction of the heart (myocardium), specifically the peak pressure present during the contraction of the ventricles.

Tachycardia

Rapidity of heart action, usually defined as a heart rate greater than $100\,\text{BPM}$ in a resting adult.

Tachypnea

A rapid rate of breathing greater than $20\,\text{breaths/min}$ in an adult.

Tidal Volume

Volume of air inhaled and exhaled during one respiratory cycle.

Ventilation

Mechanical movement of air into and out of the lungs.

Thermoregulation

The body's maintenance of heat production and heat loss, largely regulated by the hypothalamus.

Korotkoff sounds

The turbulent sound of blood flow through the arteries heard during blood pressure measurement.

FiO2 (Fractional concentration of oxygen)

The dosage of oxygen administered to a patient, expressed as a decimal (e.g., $0.24$) or a percentage.

Nasal Cannula

A low-flow device that delivers oxygen via short prongs inserted into the nares, typically used at flow rates of $1\,L/min$ to $6\,L/min$.

High-Flow Nasal Cannula (HFNC)

A device that utilizes an oxygen blender to deliver an $FiO_2$ of $21\%$ to $100\%$ with flow rates up to $60\,L/min$ of humidified, heated gas.

Endotracheal (ET) Tubes

Tubes used for mechanical ventilation, oxygen delivery, or airway obstruction management; the distal tip should be positioned $1$ to $2\,\text{inches}$ ($3$ to $5\,\text{cm}$) above the carina.

Thoracostomy Tubes (Chest Tubes)

Tubes inserted through the chest wall to reestablish negative intrapleural pressure in cases of pneumothorax, hemothorax, or pleural effusion.

Central Venous (CV) Lines

Catheters inserted into a large central vein (most commonly the subclavian vein) used for drug administration, fluid management, or pressure monitoring.

Swan-Ganz Catheters

Specialized pulmonary arterial (PA) lines used to monitor pulmonary arterial pressures and estimate left ventricular end-diastolic pressure.