Week 5: Vital Signs, Respiratory Rate

Question 1

What is a vital sign

Answer 1

• Measurement of a person’s physiological observation
• Core nursing function and key to the recognition of patient clinical deterioration

Question 2

What does it mean when vital signs are within normal range?

Answer 2

• Vital signs within it reflects a persons physiological wellbeing

Question 3

What are the 5 Vital signs

Answer 3

• Pulse
• Respiration Rate
• Blood Pressure
• Temperature
• Oxygen Saturation

Question 3

What does it mean when vital signs are within abnormal range?

Answer 3

• Abnormal vital signs may be an early warning sign of clinical deterioration

Question 4

When to Assess vital signs

Answer 4

• On admission
• When there is a change in health status or reports of symptoms such as pain in chest
• Before, After and during a surgery or invasive procedure
• Before and after any nursing’s intervention that may affect the vital signs ( ambulating a person wig gas verb on bed rest or when a person is receiving a blood transfusion

Question 5

What is Respiration?

Answer 5

• Respiration is the act of breathing.
• Inhalation refers to the intake of air into the lungs
• Exhalation refers to breathing out or the movement of gases from the lungs to the atmosphere

Question 6

What consider When assessing respiration rate?

Answer 6

• Should be assessed when person is relaxed as exercise affects the respiratory by increasing rate and depth
• The persons normal breathing pattern
• The influence of the persons health problems on respiration
• Any medication or therapies that may effect respirations
• The relationship of the persons respirations to cardiovascular function

Question 7

Key Components of Respiration

Answer 7

• Rate
• Depth
• Rhythm
• Quality

Question 8

Respiratory Rate Terms: normal, fast, slow, no breathing

Answer 8

• Eupnoea: Normal rate
• Bradypnoea: Slow Breathing
• Tachypnoea: Fast Breathing
• Apnoea: No breathing

Question 9

Factors That Increase Respiratory Rate

Answer 9

• Exercise
• Stress
• Increased Environmental Temperature
• Lowered Oxygen Concentration

Question 10

Factors That Decrease Respiratory Rate

Answer 10

• Decreased Environmental Temperature
• Medications such as narcotics
• Increased Intracranial Pressure

Question 11

Respiratory Depth

Answer 11

• Depth is established by watching the movement of the chest
• Generally Described as being normal, deep or shallow

Question 12

Deep, Shallow, Normal Respiratory Depth

Answer 12

• Deep: Large volume of air is inhaled and exhaled, inflating most of the lung
• Shallow: Exchange of a small volume of air and often the minimal use of lung tissue
• Normal: Adult takes about 500mL of air which is all called tidal volume

Question 13

Define these terms Hyperventilation and Hypoventilation

Answer 13

• Hyperventilation: Refers to very deep, rapid respirations. Over expansion of the lungs.
• Hypoventilation: Refers to very shallow respirations. Under expansion of the lungs.

Question 14

Respiratory Rhythm

Answer 14

• Refers to the regularity of the expiration and inspirations
• Reparations are evenly spaced and can be described as regular or irregular

Question 15

Respiratory Quality

Answer 15

• Refers to those aspects of breathing that are different from normal, effortless breathing.

Question 16

Characteristics of bad quality respiratory rate

Answer 16

• People who can only breathing with substantial effort ( laboured breathing)
• Abnormal sounds such as wheezing