Vital Sign Terms

Vital Signs

Determinations that provide info about body conditions; include temperature, pulse, respirations, blood pressure.

BP

Blood pressure.

bpm

Beats per minute.

HTN

Hypertension.

C

Celsius.

F

Fahrenheit.

Sp O2

Peripheral capillary oxygen saturation.

Auscultation

Listen to body sounds with a stethoscope.

Apical pulse

Pulse taken with a stethoscope, near the apex of the heart.

Apnea

Absence of respirations; temporary cessation of respirations.

Arrhythmia

Irregular or abnormal rhythm.

Aural temperature

Measurement of body temperature at the tympanic membrane.

Axillary temperature

Temperature taken in the armpit.

Blood pressure

Measurement of the force exerted by the blood against the arterial walls.

Bradycardia

Slow heart rate.

Brady pnea

Slow respiratory rate.

Baseline

Neutral area, norm, used to establish a pattern for comparison.

Cyanosis

Bluish color of skin, nail beds, and/or lips due to insufficient oxygen.

Diaphoresis

Excessive sweating.

Diastolic pressure

Period of time when muscle is at rest; measurement of the constant pressure in arteries.

Dyspnea

Difficult or labored breathing.

Electrocardiogram

Written record or tracing produced by an electrocardiograph machine.

Rectal temperature

Temperature taken in the rectal area.

Respirations

Process of taking in oxygen (inspiration) and expelling carbon dioxide (expiration).

Rhythm

Referring to regularity; regular or irregular.

Sphygmomanometer

Instrument calibrated for measuring blood pressure in millimeters of mercury.

Stethoscope

Instrument used for listening to internal body sounds.

Syncopal

Fainting.

Systolic pressure

Period during which the muscle is contracting, forcing blood into the arteries.

Tachycardia

Fast or rapid heart rate.

Tachypnea

Fast respiratory rate.

Temperature

Measurement of heat lost and produced by the body.

Temporal temperature

Measurement of body temperature at the temporal artery.

Thermometer

Instrument used to measure temperature.

Holter monitor

Portable device that continuously monitors activity for 24 hours or longer.

Hypothermia

Low body temperature.

Hyperthermia

Elevated body temperature.

Hypoxia

Low oxygen level.

Oral temperature

Temperature taken by mouth.

Palpation

The act of using hands to feel body parts during an examination.

Pulse

Pressure of the blood against the wall of an artery.

Pulse oximeter

A device that measures oxygen level in arteries.

Pulse pressure

The difference between systolic and diastolic pressure.