vital signs overview

what are vital signs?

the measurement of the body’s basic functions to monitor and diagnose different medical problems (assessed in hospital or at home, etc.

what are the six main vital signs?

blood pressure, pain, oxygen saturation, temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate

what is normal body temperature?

36.5-37.7 celsius AKA 97.8 - 99 farenheit

what are the methods of taking body temperature?

axillary, oral, rectal, temporal (forehead), tympanic (ear)

what is temperature

measurement of internal core temperature

how do the temperatures fluctuate between each method? why

axillary and temporal are 1 degree celsius (0.5 - 0.7 fahrenheit) lower

oral and rectal temperatures are higher because closer to the core body temperature.

what factors affect body temperature?

gender, menstrual cycle, physical activity, eating, high humidity or room temperature, medication, heavy clothing, time of day (highest in evening), strong emotion

what is a fever a sign of?

fighting infection, acts as a defense mechanism to be a less favourable host working with the immune system

how to treat a fever

-dress lightly

-take a lukewarm bath to cool fever, cold baths create shivering rising core temperature

-take antipyretics, acetaminophen is one (Advil)

-drink lots of fluids

-don’t force foods, eating is okay

-lots of rest to recover as activity rises body temp

what do we know when body temperatures are above 40*C

life threatening

what do we know when body temperatures are at 41*C

brain death begins

what do we know when body temperatures are at 45*C

death is almost certain

what do we know when body temperatures are above 50*C

muscles become rigid and certain immediate death

what is pulse?

measurement of heart rate or number of times the heart beats per minute

how does the heart pump blood

arteries contract and expand , this change allows us to feel the pulse of someone, through this we can also assess the rhythm and strength of someone’s heart

what is the normal pulse rate?

60-100bpm

when does pulse rate fluctuate?

exercise, illness, injury, and emotions

who has a faster heart rate? males or females?

females above 12 - female heart is smaller, and menstrual cycle

who has lower resting heart rates

athletes because their heart is stronger allowing for more blood to be pumped with each beat

what are the pulse points?

carotid (neck), brachial (elbow), radial (wrist), femoral (groin), dorsalis pedis (foot)

how do we check pulse?

palpating arteries at the pulse points using the index and middle fingers (never the thumb because it has a pulse), count for 20sec then multiply by 3

what is respiration rate?

the number of breaths (inspiration and expiration) a person takes per minute

what should we note when taking someone’s respirations

if they are having difficulty breathing

why do we perform it while taking someone’s pulse?

so they are aren’t aware and can’t change the way they are breathing

when do respiration rates increase?

fever, illness, other medical conditions

respiratory rates by age

higher with younger patients, lower with older patients

what is oxygen saturation?

oxygen saturated hemoglobin to total hemoglobin, the oxygen levels in the bloodstream

what is the normal oxygen saturation?

95-100, but the average is expected to be above 93, those who don’t achieve this need to be supplied additional oxygen

how do we measure oxygen saturation

with a pulse oximeter using light to check how red blood is

what is blood pressure? how is it taken?

the force of blood pushing against the artery walls

taken with a BP cuff sphygmomanometer and stethoscope

hypertension range

140/90 or greater

prehypertension

120-139 or 80-89 mmHg

normotension

less than 120/80mmHg

why are these numbers only used as a guide?

because multiple readings should be taken to diagnose accurately.

what is white coat syndrome?

high blood pressure in a clinical setting due to anxiety or stress, despite having normal measurements in other environments.

how do we take blood pressure?

rest for three to five minutes without talking before taking the measurement

sit still in chair with back against the chair and legs and ankles uncrossed

place arm at heart level on table

wrap cuff snugly around upper part of arm (1 fingertip to slip under)

bottom edge of cuff is one inch above elbow crease

what is pain? how should we assess it?

it is subjective! we should ask the patient to tell us about the pain and describe it. where is it felt? how does it feel? ex. sharp or dull

rate it on a scale of 0-10 with 0 being the least amount of pain and 10 being the most