1. SESSION 1: Vital Signs Flashcards
(26 cards)
What is the equation for BMI?
Weight in Kg
_____________
Height in meters squared
What are the six vital signs?
1) Height / weight (also head circumference)
2) Temperature
3) Pulse
4) Respirations
5) Blood Pressure
6) Pain
Temperature: What part of the brain is set as the “thermostat mechanism?”
Hypothalamus
Name four influences on temperature.
1) Diurnal Cycle
2) Menstrual Cycle
3) Exercise
4) Age
Routes of Temperature Measurement (5)
1) Oral
2) Electronic
3) Axillary
4) Rectal
5) Tympanic Membrane
What is the average oral temperature?
- in Celsius?
- in Fahrenheit?
37*C
98.6*C
What is the diurnal variation of temperatures?
- 35.8C to 37.3C
- 96.4F to 99.1C
How does the average rectal temperature vary from oral?
Rectal is .5C (1F) GREATER than oral temperature
How does Axillary temperature vary from oral temperature?
Axillary temperature is .5C (1F) GREATER than oral temperature
How does tympanic temperature vary from oral temperature?
Tympanic Temperature is .8C (1.4F) GREATER than oral temperature.
What should you assess when taking the pulse (4)?
1) Rate
2) Rhythm
3) Force
4) Elasticity
_____ is the term for a heartbeat that is abnormally slow for age,
_____ is the term for a heartbeat that is abnormally fast for age.
Bradycardia
Tachycardia
Respirations per minute for a normal…
ADULT: ____ to ____
INFANT: ____ to ____
Adult: 10-20 per minute
Infant: 30-40 per minute
Define SYSTOLIC pressure
- Top number or bottom number?
- What is happening physiologically?
- Top number in BP read.
- Left ventricles contract. Indicates BP when vessels are contracting.
- Measures the amount of pressure that blood exerts on arteries and vessels when heart is beating.
Define DIASTOLIC pressure
- Top number or bottom number?
- What is happening physiologically?
- Bottom number
- Represents the minimum pressure in the arteries, when heart is relaxed
What physiological factors influences blood pressure (5)?
- Cardiac output
- Vascular Resistance
- Volume
- Viscosity
- Elasticity of vessel walls
Equation for Cardiac Output
Heart Rate x Stroke Volume* = Cardiac Output
- Stroke volume = amount of blood pumped out of L ventricle with each beat.
Seven demographic influences on blood pressure
- Age
- Gender
- Race
- Emotions
- Weight
- Stress
- Exercise
Optimal Conditions for BP (7)
1) Avoid smoking or drinking caffeinated beverages 30 minutes before measurement
2) Ensure the room is quiet and comfortably warm
3) Pt seated quietly in chair with feet on floor for at least 5 minutes
4) Arm should be free of clothing
5) Palpate the brachial artery
6) Position the arm so that the brachial artery is at heart level
7) Rest the arm on a table a little above the pt’s waist, or support the patient’s arm with your own at their mid-chest level
Older adults’ vital signs:
- What changes (4)?
- What doesn’t change?
Changes:
1) BP: Systolic hypertension
2) Widened pulse pressure
3) Heart rate and rhythm: Pacemaker cells decline; affect response to physiologic stress.
4) Changes to temperature regulation lead to susceptibility to hypothermia
Respiration stays the same
What is normal blood pressure?
<80
Eight cardiovascular risk factors
1) Hypertension
2) Cigarette smoking
3) Obseity (BMI > or = 30)
4) Physical inactivity
5) Dyslipidemia
6) Diabetes mellitus
7) Age (55+ for men, 65+ for women)
8) Family history of premature cardiovascular disease
Define auscultatory gap. How does this affect clinical methodology?
DEF: Auscultatory gap: A silent interval that may be present between the systolic and diastolic blood pressures. (The sound disappears for awhile, than reappears.) Occurs with atrial defibrilation.
**This is why we pump 30mmHg HIGHER after we stop hearing the heartbeat. Just to make sure we aren’t missing this.
- Define orthostatic hypotension.
- When should you take serial measurements of pulse and BP? (3)
- Method:
- DEF: Orthostatic hypotension is a drop in systolic pressure of more than 20mmHg or pulse increase of 20bpm or more.
- Take measurements if you suspect volume depletion, if pt is hypertensive or on hypertensive meds, or if pt reports fainting.
- Method: Have pt rest supine for 2-3 minutes, then sit, then stand. Take BP and pulse in each of these 3 positions.
