Rad Tech Patient Care

Signs

are objective findings seen by the examiner
(can be measured, felt , or heard)

Symptoms

are objective findings seen by the patient
Signs are usually accompanied by symptoms

Homeostasis

consistency in the internal environment of the body (normal)

What are the primary mechanisms that function to help maintain homeostasis?

1. heart beat
2. temperature
3. blood pressure
4. respiratory rate
5. electrolyte balance

What is use to measure the primary mechanisms?

vital signs

Vital signs measure what?

1. temperature
2. blood pressure
3. pulse rate
4. respiratory rate

What does abnormal vital signs in the body indicate?

that the body is not in homeostasis

What is normal body temperature?

98.6F with a one to two degree variation

Body temperature is regulated by what?

the hypothalamus

Body temperature is regulated or kept constant by what?

produced heat
sweat (diaphoresis)
breathe heavier
can be measure in the body in C or F

5 common places to measure body temperature are?

1. oral
2. axillary
3. tympanic
4. rectal
5. temporal artery

oral

by placing the thermometer underneath the tongue (sublingual) normal oral temp is 98.6F

axillary

by placing the thermometer between upper arm and the torso or the armpit (use covering) 97.6F

tympanic

placing the thermometer into the ear 97.6F Normal temp

rectal

placing the thermometer into the rectum 99.6F normal temp

temporal artery

placing the thermometer on the side of the forehead normal temp 100F

hyperthermia

body temperature higher than normal (fever)
(confusion, dizziness, and coma)

hypothermia

body temperature below average

Respiratory System

delivers oxygen and release carbon dioxide (has to have a constant supply of oxygen)

How does the diaphragm controls inspiration and expiration?

by its upward and downward movement

A single respiration consists of what?

one inspiration and one expiration

How should a normal respiration be?

it should be silent and effortless

Normal breath rate

12 to 20 breaths per minute

Children 10 and less breath rate

20 to 30 breaths per minute

Newborns

30 to 60 breaths per minute

Respiration can also be measured by what?

measured in 1 by depths and patterns

tachypnea

rapid respiratory rate and is higher than 20 breaths per minute

bradypnea

slower than normal respiratory rate

dyspnea

difficult breathing

apnea

absent of breathing

any abnormal respiratory rate can be dangerous

3 common sites to measure pulse are

1. Radial artery
2. Brachial artery
3. Carotid artery

Radial artery

at the wrist

Brachial artery

at the elbow

Carotid artery

at the neck

Optical pulse

stethoscope over the apex of the heart

Normal Rates

recorded as beats per minute

What is the normal rest rate for an adult?

60-100 beats per minute

Normal rest rate for children 10 or younger?

70-120 beats per minute

To obtain a pulse by an EKG you do what?

a series of electrodes place across the chest and heart activity is recorded

Arteriole Line

has the ability to measure pulse rate

types of arteriole lines

swan gaze catheter
pulse oximeter

Pulse oximeter

measure oxygen concentration in blood, also use to measure the pulse as well

Tachycardia

pulse rate over 20 beats per minute above the resting pulse rate

Bradycardia

when the pulse rate is below the normal rate

irregular heart beat is life threatening

Cardiac output

product of the heart rate and stroke volume

Cardiac cycle

refers to the events that occur from one ventricular contraction to another

SA node

sinode atrial node

AV node

aventricular node

Bundles of his (left and right)

Purkinje fibers

Any abnormalities in the conduction system that adversely affect the cardiac output is called what?

arrhythmia or dysrhythmia

P wave

represents contraction of the atrial muscle

Depolarization

same as contraction

QRS complex

contraction of the ventricles

T wave

follows the relaxation of the ventricles

U wave

repolarization of the rest of the heart muscles (not always going to see)

5 steps to evaluate an EKG

1. is the rhythm regular or irregular
2. are QRS complexes similar and narrow and should not exceed 3 small squares .12 seconds
3. are the P waves similar; are the PR intervals normal and need to be from 3 to 5 small squares.
4. is the rate normal? count the number of large squares in between each QRS complex /300 75 beats per minute pulse rate. If irregular, calculate count the QRS complexes in a 6 second interval and multiply by 10
5. is the sequence normal? P QRS T

atrial fibrillation

atrial quiver instead of contracting and relaxing

ventricular fibrillation

ventricles quiver not contracting or relaxing

asystole

patient dead-no evidence of activity

What does blood pressure do?

force blood on the arteriole walls during contraction and relaxation of the heart

diastole

pressure during the relaxation of the heart

Systolic Pressure

is the peak pressure during the contraction of the heart

is recorded as systolic pressure over diastolic pressure

What do they use to take blood pressure with manually?

sphygmomanometer and a stethoscope

inflate the cuff to more than the normal systolic

Systolic number

1st time you hear the heart beat in the patient

diastolic number

2nd time when you stop hearing the heart beat in the patient

Blood pressure is recorded in what?

mm/Hg

Normal Blood pressure in adult

less than 120 for systolic
less than 80 for diastolic

How should a person be seated for a blood pressure check?

should be in a seated position with bp cuff at the same level as the heart

Multiple BP readings

140/90 or more in hypertension

120-139
80-89

prehypertension

140-149
90-99

stage 1 hypertension

160+
100+

stage 2 hypertension

more common in men than women

twice as common in blacks than whites

hypotension

is below the limits

each one of the vital signs has an affect on the other

be aware if something is wrong with the patient know how to take care of them

Normal Saturation (O2)

is 95% to 100%

Hypoxemia

less than 90% of O2 (sat) in the blood
can be characterized by cyanosis
around lips, finger nails, and gums

Hypoxia

insufficient oxygen in the tissue

oxygen is considered to be a drug and have to have a doctor's order to be on it

don't administrated oxygen just because someone is having a difficult time breathing

when oxygen is ordered it is ordered in L/min

the most common device to deliver oxygen

nasal cannula

nasal cannula

normal rate is usually one to four L/min
Don't go beyond 4 L/min but never go beyond 6 L/min because it will dry out the patient's nasal

Simple O2 mask

used to cover nose and mouth not used very much and it is hooked up to the oxygen

Nonrebreathing mask

provide high concentration of oxygen and they prevent exhale oxygen from being rebreathe back into the patient's body

aerosol mask

used to prevent drying out of the nasal passage

air entertainment mask

helps keep oxygen
patient breathes in oxygen from the mas, an from outside the mask as well

when a patient is on oxygen we do not remove the oxygen for the sake of an xray

if it's green then its related to oxygen
babies can be placed in oxygen tents

ventillator

is used for a pt that cannot breathe on their own

endotracheal tube (ET)

placed into the trachea for purpose of respiration

intubation

process of placing an ET tube
tip of ET tube should be placed 1-2 inches superior to the burifaction of the trachea

urinals

used for males