Ch 16 Vocab

Question 1

Apical pulse

Answer 1

Pulse tanken with a stethoscope and near the apex of the heart.

Question 2

Apnea

Answer 2

Absence of respirations; temporary cessation of respirations.

Question 3

Arrythmia

Answer 3

An irregular heartbeat

Question 4

Aural temperature

Answer 4

Measurement of body temperature at the tympanic membrane in the ear.

Question 5

Axillary temperature

Answer 5

Temperature taken in the armpit, under the upper arm.

Question 6

Blood pressure

Answer 6

The force of the blood going through your arteries.

Question 7

Bradycardia

Answer 7

Slow heart rate, usually below 60 beats per minute.

Question 8

Character

Answer 8

The quality of respirations (for example, deep, shallow, or labored).

Question 9

Cheyne-Stokes

Answer 9

Periods of difficult breathing (dyspnea) followed by periods of no respirations (apnea).

Question 10

Clinical thermometers

Answer 10

Thermometers consisting of a slender glass tube containing mercury or a heat-reactive mercury-free liquid such as alcohol, which expands when exposed to heat.

Question 11

Cyanosis

Answer 11

A bluish color in the skin, nails, and lips caused by a shortage of oxygen.

Question 12

Diastolic

Answer 12

Measurement of blood pressure taken when the heart is at rest; measurement of the constant pressure in arteries.

Question 13

Dyspnea

Answer 13

Difficult or labored breathing.

Question 14

Electronic thermometers

Answer 14

Types of thermometers that use a heat sensor to record temperature and display the temperature on a viewer in a few seconds; can be used to take oral, rectal, axillary, and/or groin temperatures.

Question 15

Fever

Answer 15

fever
Elevated body temperature, usually above 101 F or 38.3 C, rectally.

Question 16

Homeostasis

Answer 16

the tendency toward a relatively stable equilibrium between interdependent elements, especially as maintained by physiological processes.

Question 17

Hypertension

Answer 17

High blood pressure

Question 18

Hyperthermia

Answer 18

Condition that occurs when body temperature exceeds 104 F or 40 C, rectally.

Question 19

Hypothermia

Answer 19

Low blood pressure.

Question 20

No contact infrared thermometer

Answer 20

Type of thermometer that uses light wavelength technology to measure the thermal energy radiating from the skin without requiring any physical contact with the person.

Question 21

Oral temperature

Answer 21

Temperature taken in the mouth.

Question 22

Orthopnea

Answer 22

Severe dyspnea in which breathing is very difficult in any position other than sitting erect or standing.

Question 23

Pain

Answer 23

An unpleasant sensation that is perceived in the nervous system when illness or injury occurs.

Question 24

Pulse

Answer 24

Pressure of the blood felt against the wall of an artery as the heart contracts or beats.

Question 25

Pulse deficit

Answer 25

The difference between the rate of an apical pulse and the rate of a radial pulse.

Question 26

Pulse oximeter

Answer 26

A device that measures the oxygen level in arterial blood.

Question 27

Pulse pressure

Answer 27

The difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Question 28

Pyrexia

Answer 28

Fever.

Question 29

Rales

Answer 29

Bubbling or noisy sounds caused by fluid or mucus in the air passages.

Question 30

Rate

Answer 30

Number per minute, as with pulse and respiration counts.

Question 31

Rectal temperature

Answer 31

Temperature taken in the rectum; an internal measurement and the most accurate of all methods of taking temperatures.

Question 32

Respirations

Answer 32

Measurements that reflect the breathing rate of the patient; include respiration count, rhythm, and character of respirations; abnormal respirations usually indicate that a health problem or disease is present.

Question 33

Rhythm

Answer 33

Referring to regularity; regular or irregular.

Question 34

Sphygmomanometer

Answer 34

Instrument calibrated for measuring blood pressure in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).

Question 35

Stethoscope

Answer 35

Instrument used for listening to internal body sounds.

Question 36

Systolic

Answer 36

Measurement of blood pressure taken when the heart is contracting and forcing blood into the arteries.

Question 37

Tachycardia

Answer 37

Fast, or rapid, heartbeat ( usually more than 100 beats per minute in an adult).

Question 38

Tachypnea

Answer 38

Respiratory rate above 25 respirations per minute.

Question 39

Temperature

Answer 39

The measurement of the balance between heat lost and heat produced by the body.

Question 40

Temporal scanning thermometer

Answer 40

Specialized electronic thermometers that use an infrared scanner to measure the temperature in the temporal artery of the forehead.

Question 41

Temporal temperature

Answer 41

Measurement of body temperature at the temporal artery on the forehead.

Question 42

Tympanic thermometers

Answer 42

Specialized electronic thermometers that use an infrared ray to record the aural temperature in the ear.

Question 43

Vital signs

Answer 43

Determinations that provide information about body conditions; include temperature, pulse, respirations, and blood pressure.

Question 44

Volume

Answer 44

The degree of strength of a pulse (for example, strong or weak).

Question 45

Wheezing

Answer 45

Difficult breathing with a high-pitched whistling or sighing sound during expiration.