Vital Signs

1. Vital Signs Mrs. Brodermann

2. Height and weight • Weight • Three types of scales • Balance beam scales • Dial scales • Digital scales • Who gets weighed • Pregnant patients • Infants • Children • Older adults • Medical diagnosis • Medication based on weight • Conditions such as CHF or Edema

3. Height • Measured using movable ruler found on the back of most balance beam scales • Taken in infants and children

4. Temperature • Reflects the balance between the heat a person’s body produces and the heat it loses • Core temperature • Adults – 98.6 (97 to 99 is normal) • This person is considered afebrile • A febrile patient has a temperature above 99 degrees Farenheit • Factors affecting temperature • Age – children have a higher body temperature and elderly have lower temp. • Gender – women are hotter. • Especially during ovulation and pregnancy

5. Exercise – burning calories raises temperature • Time of Day – Cooler in the morning • Emotions – rises during stress • Illness • Sites for measuring temperature • Mouth – ranges from 97.6-99.6 • Rectum – 98.6-100.6 • Axillary – 96.6 – 98.6 • Tympanic – 98.2-100.2 • Types of thermometers • Electronic • Tympanic • Temporal • Disposable

6. Pulse • Normal pulse is between 60-80 beats per minute • Factors affecting pulse • Time of day – lower in the morning • Gender – Women are faster. • Body type and size – thin, tall people have lower pulse rate • Exercise – higher when exercising • Stress or emotions – higher • Fever – will increase up to 10 beats per minute • Medications – many affect pulse • Blood volume – decreased blood volume makes heart beat faster

7. Pulse sites • Carotid artery – runs on either side of the neck • Brachial artery – found at the bend of the elbow • Radial artery – found in the wrist • Femoral artery – at the function of the upper thigh and the torso • Popliteal artery – behind the knee • Posterior tibial artery – near the rounded bone at the inner ankle • Dorsalispedis artery – top of the foot

8. Pulse characteristics • Rate • Rhythm • Strength • Regular or irregular • Arrhythmias • Bradycardia • Tachycardia • Bounding (forceful) • Thready • Strong • weak

9. Respiration • Normal respiratory rate is 12-20 • Characteristics • Rate per minute • Infant 20+ • Child – 18-20 • Adult – 12-20 • Rhythm • Spacing between breaths • Depth • Shallow, deep or regular

10. Factors affecting respiration • Medications such as morphine • Pain (dyspnea) • Position (orthopnea) • Periods of no breathing are called apnea • Periods lasting longer than 4-6 minutes can cause brain damage or even death. • Assessing respiration • One full cycle of rise and fall of the chest is one breath • Count for a full minute • Abnormal sounds • Wet • Dry (crackles) • High-pitched sounds (wheezing)

11. Blood pressure • Systolic • Highest pressure level during contraction • Diastolic • Lower pressure as the artery drops and relaxes • Both are measured in millimeters of mercury • Normal BP is 120/80 • Hypertension/hypotension • Many factors can affect blood pressure • Age, activity, stress, body position and medications. • Orthostatic hypotension – positional drop in pressure • Cautions • Do not measure BP is arms with IV lines, Dialysis shunts, major cuts or wounds, post mastectomy side.

12. Typical Vital signs flow sheet • Includes the following: • Date • Weight • Temp • BP • Pulse • Resp • Pulse Ox • Pain • Initials