Vital Signs

Question 1

What are the four main vital signs?

Answer 1

Temperature
Pulse
Respiration
Blood pressure

Question 2

What is temperature?

Answer 2

Measurement of the balance between heat produced and heat lost by the body.

Question 3

What are the five different thermometers?

Answer 3

Glass 
Tympanic
Aural 
Digital 
Temporal

Question 4

What are the five main sites to check temperature?

Answer 4

Oral 
Aural 
Rectal 
Axillary 
Temporal

Question 5

What is the average temperature of an oral check?

Answer 5

98.6

Question 6

What is the average temperature of an axial lady check?

Answer 6

97.6

Question 7

What is the average temperature of a rectal check?

Answer 7

99.6

Question 8

What is the average temperature of an aural check?

Answer 8

98.6

Question 9

What is the average temperature of a temporal check?

Answer 9

99.6

Question 10

What determines a fever?

Answer 10

Abnormally elevated temp of 101 degree or greater

Question 11

What is another name for fever?

Answer 11

Pyrexia

Question 12

What is hypothermia?

Answer 12

Abnormally low temperature of 95 degrees or less.

Question 13

What is hypothermia?

Answer 13

An elevated temperature of 104 degrees of greater.

Question 14

When wouldn’t you want to take an oral temperature?

Answer 14

If the patient is: 
A mouth breather
Unconscious 
Restless 
Uncooperative 
A young child 
Delirious
Has has something to eat or drink or has smoked in the past thirty minutes.

Question 15

What are vital signs?

Answer 15

Information about the basic body conditions of the patient

Question 16

What is pulse?

Answer 16

Pressure of the blood against the wall of an artery as the heart contracts and relaxes (beats).

Question 17

What are the three things recorded when taking a pulse?

Answer 17

Rate
Volume
Rhythm

Question 18

What is Rate?

Answer 18

Number of beats per minute

Question 19

What is Rhythm ?

Answer 19

The regularity of heart beat

Question 20

What is volume?

Answer 20

The strength of the heart beat

Question 21

What is an apical pulse?

Answer 21

Use stethoscope at the apex of the heart

Actual heartbeat heard and counted

Question 22

What is a Radial pulse?

Answer 22

Found on the thumb side of the wrist

Question 23

What is a brachial pulse?

Answer 23

Found on inner aspect of the elbow

Used for taking BP

Question 24

What is a carotid pulse?

Answer 24

Located at the neck

One of the last pulses to disappear

Question 25

What is a temporal pulse?

Answer 25

At the hairline

Question 26

What if the femoral pulse?

Answer 26

Accessed for heart cath/diagnostic dye tests

Question 27

What is the popliteal pulse?

Answer 27

Behind the knees

Question 28

What is a dorsalis pedis pulse?

Answer 28

Located at the top of the foot

Question 29

What can make a pulse increase?

Answer 29

Exercise Stress Medications

Question 30

What can make a pulse decease?

Answer 30

Sleep Disease Medication

Question 31

What is the normal pulse range for an adult?

Answer 31

60-100

Question 32

What is a tachycardia pulse range?

Answer 32

>100

Question 33

What is a bradycardia pulse range?

Question 34

What is respiration?

Answer 34

Measurement of rate of breathing

Question 35

What is considered one respiration?

Answer 35

One inhalation + one exhalation

Question 36

What is the rate of a respiration?

Answer 36

Number of breaths per minute

Question 37

What is the character of a pulse?

Answer 37

Quality/depth of respirations

Question 38

What is rhythm of pulse?

Answer 38

Regularity of respiration

Question 39

What is dyspnea?

Answer 39

difficult respirations

Question 40

What is apnea?

Answer 40

No breathing

Question 41

What is tachyapnea?

Answer 41

>25 resp/min

Question 42

What is bradyapnea?

Question 43

What is Orthopnea?

Answer 43

Severe dyspnea

Question 44

What is cyanosis?

Answer 44

Bluish discoloration of skin/tissue due to a decrease or lack of oxygen

Question 45

What is Rales?

Answer 45

Moist respiration. Air passing through mucus or fluid

Question 46

What is wheezing?

Answer 46

High pitched sound of air passing through constricted airways

Question 47

What is cheyne-stokes?

Answer 47

Dyspnea/apnea Often seen in the dying Called agonal breathing

Question 48

What can increase respiration?

Answer 48

``` Exercise Fever Medication Gender Illness ```

Question 49

What can decrease respiration?

Answer 49

``` Sleep Illness Trauma Gender Body temp. ```

Question 50

What is blood pressure?

Answer 50

Measurement of the force exerted by the blood against the walls of the arteries when the heart relaxes or contracts

Question 51

What is systolic?

Answer 51

Measures the greatest pressure when the heart contracts

Question 52

Diastolic

Answer 52

Measures the least pressure when the heart is at rest

Question 53

What is hypertension?

Answer 53

Abnormally elevated blood pressure

Question 54

What does auscultate mean?

Answer 54

Examine by listening

Question 55

What is a sphygmomanometer?

Answer 55

Blood pressure cuff

Question 56

What is hypotension?

Answer 56

Abnormally low BP

Question 57

What is the 5th vital sign?

Answer 57

Degree of pain