Vital Signs: Professional Practice & Patient Care PDF

VITAL SIGNS PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE AND PATIENT CARE HMD 10502  WHAT ARE VITAL SIGNS Vital signs are measurements of the body's most basic functions. The four main vital signs routinely monitored by medical professionals and health care providers include the following: I...

VITAL SIGNS PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE AND PATIENT CARE HMD 10502  WHAT ARE VITAL SIGNS Vital signs are measurements of the body's most basic functions. The four main vital signs routinely monitored by medical professionals and health care providers include the following: I. Body temperature II. Pulse rate III. Respiration rate (rate of breathing) IV. Blood pressure (Blood pressure is not considered a vital sign, but is often measured along with the vital signs.)  WHAT ARE VITAL SIGNS Vital signs are useful in detecting or monitoring medical problems. Vital signs can be measured in a medical setting, at home, at the site of a medical emergency, or elsewhere  BODY TEMPERATURE The normal body temperature of a person varies depending on gender, recent activity, food and fluid consumption, time of day, and, in women, the stage of the menstrual cycle. Normal body temperature can range from 97.8 degrees F (or Fahrenheit, equivalent to 36.5 degrees C, or Celsius) to 99 degrees F (37.2 degrees C) for a healthy adult.  BODY TEMPERATURE A person's body temperature can be taken in any of the following ways: 1. Orally. Temperature can be taken by mouth using either the classic glass thermometer, or the more modern digital thermometers that use an electronic probe to measure body temperature. 2. Rectally. Temperatures taken rectally (using a glass or digital thermometer) tend to be 0.5 to 0.7 degrees F higher than when taken by mouth. 3. Axillary. Temperatures can be taken under the arm using a glass or digital thermometer. Temperatures taken by this route tend to be 0.3 to 0.4 degrees F lower than those temperatures taken by mouth. 4. By ear. A special thermometer can quickly measure the temperature of the ear drum, which reflects the body's core temperature (the temperature of the internal organs). 5. By skin. A special thermometer can quickly measure the temperature of the skin on the forehead.  BODY TEMPERATURE Body temperature may be abnormal due to fever (high temperature) or hypothermia (low temperature). A fever is indicated when body temperature rises about one degree or more over the normal temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit BODY TEMPERATURE PEDIATRIC BODY TEMPATURE RANGE BODY TEMPERATURE RANGE TABLE MEASUREMENT SITE OF BODY TEMPERATURE  BODY TEMPERATURE According to the Environmental Protection Agency, mercury is a toxic substance that poses a threat to the health of humans, as well as to the environment. Because of the risk of breaking, glass thermometers containing mercury should be removed from use and disposed of properly in accordance with local, state, and federal laws. THERMOMETER TAKING TEMPERATURE  PULSE RATE The pulse rate is a measurement of the heart rate, or the number of times the heart beats per minute. As the heart pushes blood through the arteries, the arteries expand and contract with the flow of the blood.  PULSE RATE Taking a pulse not only measures the heart rate, but also can indicate the following: I. Heart rhythm II. Strength of the pulse The normal pulse for healthy adults ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute.  The pulse rate may fluctuate and increase with exercise, illness, injury, and emotions. Females ages 12 and older, in general, tend to have faster heart rates than do males. Athletes, such as runners, who do a lot of cardiovascular conditioning, may have heart rates near 40 beats per minute and experience no problems. TAKING PULSE TAKING PULSE TAKING PULSE TAKING PULSE  RESPIRATION RATE The respiration rate is the number of breaths a person takes per minute. The rate is usually measured when a person is at rest and simply involves counting the number of breaths for one minute by counting how many times the chest rises. Respiration rates may increase with fever, illness, and with other medical conditions. When checking respiration, it is important to also note whether a person has any difficulty breathing. Normal respiration rates for an adult person at rest range from 12 to 16 breaths per minute. TAKING RESPIRATORY RATE  BLOOD PRESSURE Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls during contraction and relaxation of the heart. Each time the heart beats, it pumps blood into the arteries, resulting in the highest blood pressure as the heart contracts. When the heart relaxes, the blood pressure falls.  BLOOD PRESSURE Two numbers are recorded when measuring blood pressure. 1. The higher number, or systolic pressure, refers to the pressure inside the artery when the heart contracts and pumps blood through the body. 2. The lower number, or diastolic pressure, refers to the pressure inside the artery when the heart is at rest and is filling with blood. Both the systolic and diastolic pressures are recorded as "mm Hg" (millimeters of mercury).  BLOOD PRESSURE This recording represents how high the mercury column in an old- fashioned manual blood pressure device (called a mercury manometer or sphygmomanometer) is raised by the pressure of the blood  BLOOD PRESSURE High blood pressure, or hypertension, directly increases the risk of heart attack, heart failure, and stroke. With high blood pressure, the arteries may have an increased resistance against the flow of blood, causing the heart to pump harder to circulate the blood.  WHAT IS BLOOD PRESSURE Blood pressure is categorized as normal, elevated, or stage 1 or stage 2 high blood pressure: 1. Normal blood pressure is systolic of less than 120 and diastolic of less than 80 (120/80) 2. Elevated blood pressure is systolic of 120 to 129 and diastolic less than 80 3. Stage 1 high blood pressure is systolic is 130 to 139 or diastolic between 80 to 89 4. Stage 2 high blood pressure is when systolic is 140 or higher or the diastolic is 90 or higher TAKING BLOOD PRESSURE SPHYGMOMANOMETER  TAKING BLOOD PRESSURE SPHYGMOMANOMETER 1. Position: supine, seated, standing. 2. In seated position, the PATIENTS arm should be flexed. 3. The flexed elbow should be at the level of the heart. 4. If the PATIENTS is anxious, wait a few minutes before taking the pressure.  PROCEDURES 1. To begin blood pressure measurement, use a properly sized blood pressure cuff. The length of the cuff's bladder should be at least equal to 80% of the circumference of the upper arm. 2. Wrap the cuff around the upper arm with the cuff's lower edge one inch above the antecubital fossa. 3. Lightly press the stethoscope's bell over the brachial artery just below the cuff's edge. Some health care workers have difficulty using the bell in the antecubital fossa, so we suggest using the bell or the diaphragm to measure the blood pressure. 4. Rapidly inflate the cuff to 180mmHg. Release air from the cuff at a moderate rate (3mm/sec). 5. Listen with the stethoscope and simultaneously observe the sphygmomanometer. The first knocking sound (Korotkoff) is the subject's systolic pressure. When the knocking sound disappears, that is the diastolic pressure (such as 120/80). 6. Record the pressure in both arms and note the difference; also record the subject's position (supine), which arm was used, and the cuff size (small, standard or large adult cuff). 7. If the subject's pressure is elevated, measure blood pressure two additional times, waiting a few minutes between measurements. 8. A BLOOD PRESSURE OF 180/120mmHg OR MORE REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION!  PRECAUTIONS 1. Aneroid and digital manometers may require periodic calibration. 2. Use a larger cuff on obese or heavily muscled subjects. 3. Use a smaller cuff for pediatric patients. 4. For pediatric patients a lower blood pressure may indicate the presence of hypertension. 5. Don't place the cuff over clothing. 6. Flex and support the patient's arm. 7. In some patients the Korotkoff sounds will disappear as the systolic pressure is bled down. After an interval, the Korotkoff sounds reappear. This interval is referred to as the "auscultatory gap." This pathophysiologic occurrence can lead to a marked under-estimation of systolic pressure if the cuff pressure is not elevated enough. It is for this reason that the rapid inflation of the blood pressure cuff to 180mmHg was recommended above. The "auscultatory gap" is felt to be associated with carotid atherosclerosis and a decrease in arterial compliance in patients with increased blood pressure.  PAIN SCORE There are many different kinds of pain scales, but a common one is a numerical scale from 0 to 10. Here, 0 means the patient have no pain; one to three means mild pain; four to seven is considered moderate pain; eight and above is severe pain PAIN SCORE AS A FIFTH VITAL SIGN BY MOH THANK YOU