Cardiovascular/Pulmonary Care in the Acute Setting Flashcards
Vital signs are vital to keeping the human organism alive
Tell us about the patient’s baseline health status
Objective measures used throughout course of intervention to determine improvement or decline in the health status
Vital Signs
Heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and edema
Core Vital Signs
Normal arterial walls are smooth and pliable
Age, genetics, smoking etc. may cause decreased pliability and increased arterial wall tension thus hyper vs hypo tension
Abnormalities in Blood Pressure
Systolic - Less than 120 and Diastolic - less than 80
Normal Blood Pressure
Systolic - Less than 120-129 and Diastolic - less than 80
Elevated Blood Pressure
Systolic - 130-139 or Diastolic - 80-89
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) Stage 1
Systolic - 140 or higher or Diastolic - 90 or higher
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) Stage 2
Systolic - Higher than 180 and/or Diastolic - higher than 120
Hypertension Crisis
Significant drop in BP due to pooling of blood in peripheral vessels
An important part of fall risk assessments
Positive: SBP decrease of 20 mmHg or more
Positive: DBP Decrease of 10 mmHg or more
Positive: HR Increase of 10 bpm or more
Orthostatic Hypotension
Slight depth of indentation, barely perceptible indentation, quick rebound
Trace 1+
0.0-0.6cm, Easily identifiable indentation, skin rebounds <15 seconds
Mild 2+
0.6-1.3cm, Easily identifiable indentation, skin rebounds in 15-30 seconds
Moderate 3+
1.3-2.5cm, Easily identifiable indentation, skin rebounds in >30 seconds
Severe 4+
Absent pulse
0
Palpable pulse, but thready and weak; not easily obliterated
1+
