Chapter 13 - Vital Signs and Monitoring Devices
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112 Terms
What is the most important part of patient assessment?
the chief complaint
What are outward signs of what is going on inside the body, including respiration; pulse; skin color, temperature, and condition; pupils; and blood pressure?
vital signs
What is gathered on virtually every EMS patient?
the patient's vital signs
When will you take vital signs?
during the secondary assessment
What si not considered to be a vital sign, but is often including alongside them?
oxygen saturation
What refers to the first set of vital signs you measure?
baseline vital signs
What are the rhythmic beats felt as the heart pumps blood through the arteries?
pulse
When taking a patient's pulse, what are the two factors you should be concerned with?
rate, quality
What is the number of pulse beats per minute?
pulse rate
What is the normal heart rate for an adult at rest?
between 60 and 100 bpm
What is a rapid pulse; any resting pulse rate above 100 bpm in an adult?
tachycardia
What is a slow pulse; any pulse rate below 60bpm?
bradycardia
What is the normal at-rest pulse rate for an athlete?
between 40 and 50 bpm
In an emergency, it is not unusual for the pulse rate to fluctuate temporarily between what two rates?
100 and 140 bpm
Which is of more concern for a pediatric patient: a high pulse or a low pulse?
low pulse
What is the rhythm (regular or irregular) and force (strong or weak) of the pulse?
pulse quality
When is a pulse said to be regular?
when intervals between beats are constant
What type of pulse feels weak and thin?
a thready pulse
What pulse should you find for patients 1 year of age and older?
radial pulse
What pulse should you find for patients under the age of 1 year old?
brachial pulse
What pulse should you find if you cannot find the radial or brachial pulse?
carotid pulse
What is the act of breathing in and breathing out?
respiration
What is the number of breaths taken in one minute?
respiratory rate
What is the normal respiratory rate for an adult at rest?
between 12 and 20 breaths per minute
What may be required for patients with unusually fast or slow respiratory rates?
administering oxygen or providing ventilation
What is the normal or abnormal (shallow, labored, or noisy) character of breathing?
respiratory quality
What type of breathing means that the chest or abdomen moves an average depth with each breath and the patient is not using the accessory muscles to breathe?
normal breathing
What type of breathing occurs when there is only slight movement of the chest or abdomen?
shallow breathing
What type of breathing can be recognized by signs such as an increasing in the work of breathing, the use of accessory muscles, nasal flaring, and retractions above the collarbones or between the ribs?
labored breathing
What type of breathing is obstructed breathing?
noisy breathing
What does a patient with snoring respirations need?
to have the airway opened
What may wheezing respond to?
prescribed medication
What does a patient making gurgling sounds while breathing need?
suctioning
What is a noisy, harsh shound with breathing in that may not respond to any treatment you give and requires immediate transport?
crowing
What is the regular or irregular spacing of breaths?
respiratory rhythm
How can the skin provide valuable information about your patient's circulation?
through color, temperature, and condition
What causes the skin to become pale?
constriction of blood vessels
What are the best places to assess skin color in adults?
nail beds, inside of cheeks, inside of lower eyelids
What are the best places to assess skin color in infants and children?
palms of the hand, soles of the feet
What are the other places to assess skin color in dark-skinned patients?
lips, nail beds
What is the ordinary color of skin in these places of assessment?
pink
A cyanotic (blue-gray) skin color indicates what?
lack of oxygen in blood cells and tissues
A flushed (red) skin color indicates what?
exposure to heat, emotional excitement
A jaundiced (yellow) skin color indicates what?
abnormalities of the liver
A mottled (blotchy) skin color occasionally indicates what?
shock
Cool, clammy skin is a sign of what?
shock or anxiety
Cold, moist skin is a sign of what?
body losing heat
Cold, dry skin is a sign of what?
exposure to cold
Hot, dry/moist skin is a sign of what?
high fever, heat exposure
Goose pimples accompanied by shivering, chattering teeth, blue lips, and pale skin is a sign of what?
chills, communicable disease, exposure to cold, pain, or fear
How should you determine skin temperature?
feel the patient's skin with the back of your hand
What is a good place to measure a patient's skin temperature?
forehead
If the patient's skin feels cold, where should you further assess the temperature?
on the abdomen beneath the clothing
Why should you be on alert for major temperature differences on various parts fo the body?
it can reveal circulation issues
How do you evaluate capillary refill?
press on the nail bed and watch how long it takes for the normal pink color to return after you release
How long should capillary refill take?
no more than 2 seconds
When is capillary refill not a reliable sign of good circulation?
for infants or childrens who have been exposed to cold temperatures
What is the black center of the eye?
pupil
What causes pupils to change size?
amount of light entering the eye
What will the pupil do when the environment is dim?
dilate
What will the pupil do when the environment is bright?
constrict
How will you check a patient's pupils?
by shining a light into them
What are you looking for when you check a patient's pupils?
size, equality, reactivity
What is, in the pupils of the eyes, reacting to light by changing size?
reactivity
What pupils do not constrict in response to a bright light?
nonreactive (fixed)
What is the first step of assessing pupils?
note their size before shining any light
What is the second step of assessing pupils?
cover one eye and shine a penlight into the other, then repeat
What are dilated pupils a sign of?
fright, blood loss, drugs, prescription eye drops
What are constricted pupils a sign of?
narcotics, prescription eye drops
What are unequal pupils a sign of?
stroke, head injury, eye injury, artificial eye, prescription eye drops
What is a lack of reactivity in pupils a sign of?
drugs, lack of oxygen to brain
What is the force of blood against the walls of the blood vessels?
blood pressure
What happens each time the ventricle of the left side of the heart contracts?
it forces blood out into circulation
What is the pressure created when the heart contracts and forces blood out into the arteries?
systolic blood pressure
What is the pressure remaining in the arteries when the left ventricle of the heart is relaxed and refilling?
diastolic blood pressure