Basic skills of nursing chapter 21

• the Five. Vital signs are temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, and pain level.
• Vital signs give indications as to health status of the patient includes the changes in condition
• Knowing age variable, normal values and psychological regulators is part of the assessment process
• Accurate measures of vital signs are required
• Heat is a byproduct of normal body metabolism
• Metabolism increases heat increases
• When body is invaded by pathogens, the body raises the temperature to elevate the basal metabolic rate in an effort to destroy passages
• Basic metabolic rate is affected by thyroid hormone
• Increase thyroid hormone causes an increase in metabolic rate and increased temperature
• Decreased levels of thyroid hormone result, in a deceased, metabolic rate, and a decreased body temperature
• Other hormones, affecting metabolic rate or epinephrine, norepinephrine, testosterone
• Men have higher basal metabolic rate than women because of testosterone
• Voluntary muscle movement causes increased heat production
• Shivering can increase heat production up to five times normal
• Hypothalamus acts as the thermostat to control body temperature
• Pyrogens may increase the thermostat setpoint(pyrexia)
• Decrease in body temperature results in peripheral vasoconstriction and shivering
• Increase in body, temperature results in peripheral vasodilatation , dilation and diaphoresis
• Heat loss occurs with the skins exposure to the environment. Example, radiation, conduction, convection, evaporation.
• Heat being lost by evaporation results in 800 ML’s loss of water each day
• When you have pyrexia temperature is higher than 100.2 Fahrenheit
• pyrexia(fever)occurs when normal regulation mechanisms cannot keep up with the heat produced by the body
• Pathogen, such as bacteria caused in increased body temperature
• Diaphoresis is excessive. Sweat produced to cool the body.
• Pulse is produced by cardiac contractions, causing a pressure wave against the walls of arteries
• Cardiac contractions normally initiated by the sinoarterial node
• Each contraction propels, 60 to 70 mL of blood into the aorta(stroke volume)
• Stroke, volume affects pulse character
• Stroke volume X heart rate equals cardiac output= approximately 5 L/minute for the average adult
• Pulse is normally found by palpation or by auscultation.
• Strength determined by force of cardiac contraction and circulating volume
• Rate affected by fever, pain, hypoxia, anxiety, exercise, and, cardiac disease
• Rate does not normally change with H, but dysrhythmias are common in elderly
• Respirations are involuntary autonomic function
• Respirations are controlled by respiratory center in the ponds and medulla in the brainstem
• Respirations are triggered by increased levels of CO2 or serum, hydrogen ion, concentration, or by decreased levels of O2
• Organs of respiration nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, lungs
• Respiratory centers works with feedback mechanisms
• Cart toyed, body receptors, alter rate, and depth of respirations based on CO2 content of. The blood.
• 02 and CO2 are diffused across capillaries in the lungs to maintain normal O2, CO2, and H + levels