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Physical Diagnosis > Vital Signs > Flashcards

Vital Signs Flashcards

1
Q

General Survey Components

A
  1. General Appearance

2. Height and weight

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2
Q

General Appearance Description

A
  1. Apparent state of health: Acute or chronically ill, frail
  2. Level of consciousness: Awake, alert, responsive or lethargic, obtunded, comatose
  3. Signs of distress: Cardiac or respiratory; pain; anxiety/depression
  4. Skin color and obvious lesions
  5. Dress, grooming, and personal hygiene: Appropriate to weather and temperature, Clean, properly buttoned/zipped
  6. Facial expression: Eye contact, appropriate changes in facial expression
  7. Odors of body and breath
  8. Posture, gait, and motor activity
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3
Q

Height Measurement Recommendations

A
  1. Measure in stocking feet
  2. Short or tall
  3. Build: slender and lanky, muscular, or stocky
  4. Body symmetry
  5. Note general body proportions and any deformities
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4
Q

Weight Measurement Recommendations

A
  1. Emaciated, slender, plump, obese

2. If obese, is fat distributed evenly or concentrated over trunk, upper torso, or around the hips?

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5
Q

Calculating Body Mass Index and classification systems

A

(Weight (lbs) x 700)/height (inches)

1. Underweight: 40

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6
Q

Vital Signs

A 
Blood pressure
Heart rate and rhythm
Respiratory rate and rhythm
Temperature
Pain
Oxygen Saturation
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7
Q

Blood Pressure: optimal conditions

A
  1. Avoid smoking or drinking caffeinated beverages 30 minutes prior to measurement
  2. Ensure that the room is quiet and comfortably warm
  3. Patient should be seated quietly in a chair with feet on the floor for at least 5 minutes
  4. Patient’s 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 patient’s waist, or support the patient’s arm with your own at his mid-chest level
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8
Q

Blood pressure cuff size and position

A
  1. Width: 40% of upper arm circumference

2. Length: 80% of upper arm circumference

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9
Q

Auscultatory Gap

A

A silent interval that may be present between the systolic and diastolic blood pressures; i.e., the sound disappears for a while, then reappears

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10
Q

Orthostatic blood pressure

A

Measure blood pressure and heart rate with the patient supine; wait 3 minutes, then have the patient stand up; now repeat the measurements
Normal: systolic BP drops slightly or remains unchanged; diastolic BP rises slightly
Orthostasis: systolic BP drops >20 mm Hg or diastolic BP drops >10 mm Hg

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11
Q

Heart Rate Parameters

A
  1. 50-90 bpm (Quantity)
  2. Regularity
  3. Volume: reflects change in stroke volume. hypovolemia has a low pulse volume
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12
Q

Causes of Tachycardia

A 
Fever
Hypoxia
Drug induced
Pneumothorax
Pulmonary emboli
Anxiety
Pain
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13
Q

Causes of Bradycardia

A 
Normal
Drug induced
Hypothermia
MI
Carotid artery stimulation
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14
Q

Temperature Variations

A

The normal body temperature of a person varies depending on gender, recent activity, food and fluid consumption, time of day, and, in women, the stage of the menstrual cycle.

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15
Q

Fever Parameters

A

Temperature is measured in either Celcius or Farenheit, with a fever defined as greater then 38-38.5 C or 101-101.5 F.

  • Above: 98.6F orally
  • Above 99.8 F rectally
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16
Q

Rectal Temperature Parameters

A

Rectally temperatures taken rectally (using a mercury or digital thermometer) tend to be 0.5 to 0.7° (Fahrenheit) higher than when taken by mouth.

17
Q

Axillary temperature parameters

A

Axillary temperatures can be taken under the arm. Temperatures taken by this route tend to be 0.3 to 0.4° (Fahrenheit) lower than those temperatures taken by mouth.

18
Q

Tympanic Temperature Parameters

A

By ear (tympanic) a special thermometer can quickly measure the temperature of the ear drum, which reflects the body’s core temperature.

19
Q

Hypothermia Definition

A

Hypothermia is defined as a drop in body temperature below 95° F.

20
Q

Respiratory Rate

A 
Observe rate, rhythm, depth, and effort of breathing
Normal rate: ~20 breaths/minute
Count for 60 seconds
Observe rhythm: regular, irregular
Observe depth: shallow, gasping
Observe effort: normal, labored
21
Q

Causes of Tachypnea

A 
Fever
CHF
Anemia
Hyperthyroid
Pneumonia
COPD
Metabolic acidosis
22
Q

Causes of bradycardia

A

Uremia
Various drugs
Increased intracranial pressure

23
Q

Pain parameters

A

Assess location, severity, associated features, attempted treatments/medications, related illnesses, impact on daily activities

24
Q

Types of pain

A
  1. Nociceptive or somatic – related to tissue damage
  2. Neuropathic – resulting from direct trauma to the peripheral or central nervous system
  3. Psychogenic – relates to factors that influence the patient’s report of pain
    - Psychiatric conditions
    - Personality and coping style
    - Cultural norms
    - Social support systems
  4. Idiopathic – no identifiable etiology
  5. Measured on scale of 0-10, with 10 being the worst

Physical Diagnosis (9 decks)

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