VITAL SIGNS

TEMPERATURE

• Indicator of amount of heat in the body
• Oral (most common): 98.6
• Rectal (most accurate): 99.6
• Axillary (least accurate): 97.6
• Average temperature: 98.6

TEMPERATURE

• Hypothermia:
• Pyrexia (fever): >100.4
• Hyperrexia (lethal fever): >107.6
• Eating & exercise increases temp
• Sleep decreases temp

SYMPTOMS OF FEVER

• Sweating
• Shivering
• Headache & muscle aches
• General weakness
• Loss of appetite

Types of thermometers:

1. Electronic: fast & accurate; can be used orally, rectally, and via arm pit

Electronic tympanic (ear): fast, but often inaccurate

Mercury/Glass: obsolete; possible risk of mercury exposure

PULSE: pressure of blood pushing against the wall of an artery

NORMAL RANGES

• Adult: 60-100 beats per minute
• Newborn: 120-160
• 1yr-6yrs: 80-120
• 6yrs-adolescent: 75-110

PULSE CAN BE MEASURED:

• Palpation: feel/touch
• Ausculation: listen w/ stethoscope

PULSE

• Rate, Rhythm, & Volume
• heartbeat >100: tachycardia
• heartbeat
• irregular heartbeat: arythmia

emotion (fear, anxiety), exercise, and pain cause pulse to increase

sleep and medication lower pulse

PULSE SITES

• Radial (wrist)- most common
• Carotid (neck)
• Brachial (forearm)
• Temporal (forehead)
• Femoral (inner thigh)

RESPIRATIONS

• Inhalation: breathing in
• Exhalation: breathing out
• Normal is 12-20 breaths per min
• Assessed for rate & quality

RESPIRATION

• Dyspnea: fast breathing
• Apnea: no breathing
• Bradypnea: slow breathing
• Tachypnea: fast breathing
• Eupnea: normal breathing

ABNORMAL RESPIRATIONS

1. Cheyne-Stokes: pattern of breathing in which deep, fast breaths are followed by apnea

2. Rales: rattling breaths

Respirations are assessed using a stethoscope

BLOOD PRESSURE: the pressure of the blood against the walls of blood vessels; related to the force & rate of the heartbeat as well as the diameter and elasticity of arterial walls

Diastolic pressure: arterial pressure during the relaxation of the heart in between beats

Systolic pressure: arterial pressure when the heart contracts

BP: systolic/diastolic

NORMAL RANGES

• Systolic: 90-130
• Diastolic: 60-80

FACTORS THAT INCREASE BP

• Being overweight or obese
• Stress, smoking, & alcohol
• Too much salt in diet
• Lack of physical activity
• Genetics & old age

HIGH BP CAN LEAD TO:

• Heart attack or stroke
• Aneurysm, heart failure
• Damaged blood vessels in eyes
• Weakend/narrow blood vessels in kidneys
• Trouble w/ memory & understanding

Blood pressure is measured using a sphygmomanometer.

HEIGHT & WEIGHT:
A healthy weight is determined by height, age, & gender

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RISKS OF OBESITY

• Heart disease & stroke
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes & some cancers
• Osteoarthritis & gout
• Gallbladder disease & gallstones

RISKS OF BEING UNDERWEIGHT

• Inhibited growth/development
• Fragile bones
• Weakend immune system
• Anemia
• Fertility issues & hair loss

COMMON EATING DISORDERS

1. Anorexia: severe self-consciousness regarding body image and intense fear of weight gain that leads to very low body weight

2. Belimia: involves binge-eating & then self-induced vomiting to prevent weight gain

PAIN: an unpleasant sensorial or emotional experience associated with potential or real harm to bodily tissues
*The nature of pain makes it difficult to objectively measure*

Adults are asked to rate their pain on a scale of 1-10

For children a face chart is used

THE END