Vital Signs

• temperature (T)


  balance between heat produced and lost in the body
• Types of Temperatures

  1. Oral (^0)
  2. Axillary (Ax)
  3. Rectal (R)
  4. Tympanic (Ty)
  5. temporal artery (TA)
• Oral (blue color)

  • Wait 10 min. before taking
  • PO
  • in the mouth for 2-3 min.
  • normal: 98.6 F & 37.0 C
• Axillary (blue color)

  • underarm/armpit
  • wait 10 min
  • least accurate
  • normal: 97.6 F & 36.5 C
• Rectal

  • Rectum
  • 5 min
  • should lubricate
  • insert 1/2 in
  • on Sims’ position
  • normal: 99.6 F & 37.5 C
• Tympanic

  • ear
  • 1-2 sec
• symptoms of fever: sweating, restless hands, chilled, lethargic, feel hot to touch, change in respirations, dehydration, unusual thirst
• fever/febrile: over 100 F & 38 C

  • encourage fluids
• Pulse (P) is the rate of heartbeat per minute
• Normal P: 60-100
• tachycardia 


  fast pulse (above 100)
• bradycardia


  slow pulse (below 60)
• Respirations (R)


  breathe air/oxygen into and out of lungs

  • 12-20 rpm
• body temperature 


  balance of heat produced and heat lost by the body
• hyperthermia


  higher T than normal range
• hypothermia

  T less than 100 F
• Centigrade


  normal body T of 37 C
• Fahrenheit

  marked in an even degree from 94-108 F
• Febrile


  fever
• afebrile

  no fever
• fever


  symptom of problem within
• FUO

  Fever of Undetermined Origin
• apical-radial pulse


  taking apical and radial pulse at the same time (60 sec each)
• Apnea

  absence of breath ex) infants
• blood pressure


  amount of force exerted against the walls of an artery by the blood
• Cheyne-Stokes respirations 


  form of periodic breathing that's faster and deeper
• diastole


  period when heart rests, muscle relaxation
• diastolic pressure


  pressure in arteries when heart is at rest/relaxes\
• dyspnea


  painful breathing
• hypertension

  high blood pressure
• hypotension

  low blood pressure
• hypoventilation

  slow, shallow, low breathing
• pulse


  heart beats per minute
• pulse deficit


  difference between apical and radial pulse rates
• pulse rates


  number of heartbeats/pulses in 1 min
• respiration

  oxygen in and carbon dioxidethrough nose and mouth
• sphygmomanometer


  cuff and gauge/dial used to measure blood pressure
• stethoscope


  used to listen to heart, lungs, other body organs
• systole


  period of heart muscle contraction; heart is pumping blood
• systolic pressure


  force it takes to take blood out of the body