Patient Vital Signs Medical Emergencies and Infection Control

1. Patient Vital SignsMedical EmergenciesandInfection Control FALL 2011 Week 13

2. Homeostasis • A constancy in the internal environment of the body • Naturally maintained by adaptive responses that promote healthy survival • Primary mechanisms: • Heartbeat • Blood pressure • Body temperature • Respiratory rate • Electrolyte balance

3. Vital Signs • Body Temperature • Respiratory Rate • Pulse / Heart Rate • Blood Pressure • Sensorium (mental alertness)

4. Importance of Vital Signs • Indicates the patient’s immediate condition • Can show improvement due to treatment • Can show a decline in condition

5. Body Temperature • Normal temperature: 98.6 ° F • 1° - 2°F daily variation • Still considered normal: 97.7 °F – 99.5 °F • Human body functions within a narrow range of temperature variations • Humans can survivebetween 93.2 ° F and 106 ° F

6. Thermoregulation Shivering when cold Sweating when hot

7. Measuring Body Temperature • Oral • Rectal • Axillary • Tympanic • Temporal

8. Hyperthermia Fever, febrile Temperature higher than 99.5 °F Hypothermia below normal range of 97.7 °F Due to Environment Medically induced Damage to hypothalamus Abnormalities in Body Temperature

9. Respiratory Rate • Respiratory System delivers oxygen to the body’s tissues & eliminates carbon dioxide • Pt will die without the removal of CO2 and addition of O2 • Major muscle of ventilation: diaphragm • Measured in • “breaths per minute” • Adults: 12 – 20 bpm • Children: 20 – 30 bpm • Newborns: 30 – 60 bpm

10. Abnormalities of Respiratory Rate • Tachypnea • Greater than 20 breaths per minute (adult) • Bradypnea – decrease is breathing • Dyspnea- difficulty breathing • Apnea- no breathing

11. Methods of Delivering Oxygen Nasal Cannula Masks Oxyhood Ventilators

12. Pulse Oximeter • Normal Pulse Oximeter = 95% to 100%

13. Pulse • Adult • 60 to 100 beats per minute • Children under 10 • 70 to 120 beats per minute

14. Radial artery Brachial Carotid artery Apical pulses Measurement

15. Abnormalities of Pulse Rate • Tachycardia • Pulse rate increases by more than 20 bpm in resting adult • Greater than 100 bpm • Bradycardia • Decrease in heart rate

16. Blood Pressure • Measure of the force exerted by blood on the arterial walls during contraction & relaxation. • Measured pressure when the heart is relaxed: Diastolic • Measured pressure when the heart is contracted: Systolic • Measured with a Sphygmomanometer

17. Blood Pressure cont’d • Recorded in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) with systolic over diastolic • Normal adult systolic: 95-140 mm Hg • Normal adult diastolic: 60-90 mm Hg • 120/80 mmHg considered normal

18. Abnormalities of Blood Pressure • Hypertension • Persistent elevation above 140/90 mmHg • Hypotension • Persistent less than 95/60 mmHg

19. RTA Medical Emergenciesand Infection Control Week 13 Caution – some images may be disturbing to the viewer …but this is what we may see in the course of our work

23. TRAUMA- X-RAY READY

26. 2 PROJECTIONS ARE BEST FOR THE PATIENT

27. SPINAL INJURY PT

30. X-TABLE LATERALSCERVICAL SPINE

32. Dislocation of the C3 and C4 articular processes Note that C7 is not well demonstrated

35. Some studies of spinal trauma have recorded a missed injury rate as high as 33%.

40. GSW TO ABD

41. QSWMARKING ENTRANCE /EXIT WOUNDS

48. Fractured Forearm