Vital signs

• Pain, caffeine consumption, smoking and bladder distention all increase blood pressure.
• Vital signs: Physical signs that indicate an individual is alive such as pulse, respirations, temperature, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation they also give us objective data about a person’s state of health.
• Vital signs can be observed, measured, and monitored.
• Vital signs can help diagnose a patient.
• Vital signs are critical in helping to triage patients.
• Factors that can influence vital signs include age, sex of patient, weight, exercise tolerance, illness/disease, stress levels, and hormones.
• Temperature is maintained within a tight range by the hypothalamus.
• Body heat production occurs with voluntary & involuntary muscle contractions, cell metabolism, and strong emotional states.
• Body heat loss occurs through urine, feces, moisture droplets from the lungs, perspiration, conduction, convection, and radiation.
• Temperature is measured in either celsius or fahrenheit.
• Normal range for adults: 97.6 F to 99.6 F (36.4 to 36.7 C) and will fluctuate during the day.
• Fever (pyrexia) is a common symptom of illness, present during infection and inflammation.
• Most fevers are self limiting and the body temperature returns to normal after the illness is done.
• Afebrile - without fever.
• Temperature: Febrile.
• Normal respiration rates at rest range from 12 to 20 breaths per minute.
• Apnea is the cessation of breathing.
• Preschool respiration rates are 20-30 BPM.
• In cardio-pulmonary illness, respiration rate can be a very reliable marker of disease activity.
• Eupnea is a normal respiration rate that is quiet, rhythmic, and effortless.
• Toddler respiration rates are 23-35 BPM.
• Respiration rates over 20 or under 12 breaths per minute (when at rest) may be considered abnormal.
• Well trained athletes have respiration rates of 40-60 BPM.
• Tachypnea is defined as rapid respiration, marked by shallow breaths (>20 per minute).
• Tachycardia is an abnormally fast heart rate (greater than 100 BPM) and is normal with exercise or strong emotional states.
• Bradypnea is characterized by abnormally slow breathing (<8 per minute).
• School-age respiration rates are 18-26 BPM.
• Respirations should be measured without the patient's knowledge.
• Adolescent to adult respiration rates are 12-20 BPM.
• Elderly respiration rates are 67-80 BPM.
• Infant respiration rates are 30-40 BPM.
• An oral temperature of an adult above 100 F (37.8 C) or a rectal or tympanic temp above 101 F (38.3 C) is considered a fever.
• In pediatric patients, a reading of 100.4 (38 C) or above is considered febrile.
• Hypothermia: A body temp less than 97 F (36.1 C) a temperature less than 93.2 F is considered incompatible with life.
• Hyperpyrexia: Temperature reading greater than 105.8 F (41 C) a temperature above 109.4 F is considered incompatible with life.
• Assessment sites for temperature include the mouth, axilla, rectum, ear, forehead, and can be chosen depending on the age, condition, and state of the patient.
• Radial artery is most frequently used for taking pulse.
• Push lightly at first, adding pressure if there is a lot of subcutaneous fat or you are unable to detect a pulse.
• Systolic measures the peak pressure on your arteries when the heart is pumping blood out to the body.
• Blood pressure is the measurement of the pressure or force exerted by the blood on the walls of the arteries.