Vital Signs

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Vital Signs
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Objective- Students will be able to assess
the vital signs- Students will be able to
explain what is being assessed when checking the
vital signs
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What are the Vital Signs

• Measurements of the body's most basic functions.
• Vital to life
• If one or more is missing or compromised
  medical emergency
• Vital signs are useful in detecting or monitoring
  medical problems

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The Vital Signs

• Heart Rate (Pulse)
• Breathing Rate (Respiration)
• Blood Pressure
• Temperature

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Pulse

• Heart Rate
• Each pulse represent the beat of your heart
• The pulse rate may fluctuate and increase with
  exercise, illness, injury, and emotions
• Average resting heart rate
• 60 to 100 bpm (beats per minute)
• Adults (60-80 bpm)
• Child (80-100 bpm)
• Lance Armstrong 3234 bpm

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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.
• According to the AMA
• Normal body temp 97.8 99.1 degrees Fahrenheit
  (normal is often considered 98.6)

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Places to take the Temperature

• Oral mouth
• Aural ear
• Axillary armpit
• Rectal rectum
• most accurate rectal
• Least accurate - Axillary

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Problems with body temp.

• Fever above 100
• Hypothermia below 95

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How to check your pulse

• Using the first and second fingertips, press
  firmly but gently on the arteries until you feel
  a pulse.
• Begin counting the pulse when the clock's second
  hand is on the 12.
• Count your pulse for 60 seconds (or for 15
  seconds and then multiply by four to calculate
  beats per minute).
• When counting, do not watch the clock
  continuously, but concentrate on the beats of the
  pulse.

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What are you feeling?

• Superficial arteries expanding as blood passes
  through them
• Expulsion of blood from the heart
• Pulse Locations

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Neck (carotid Pulse)
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(No Transcript)
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Wrist (Radial Artery)
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other pulses

• Any superficial artery
• Popliteal behind knee
• Femoral groin
• Dorsi Pedis foot
• Brachial Armpit

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Using the heart rate

• Max HR 220 minus your age
• Multiply that number by .65 65 of max
• Multiply that number by .85 85 of max
• 65 - 85 is the training zone
• Figure out yours..

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Respiration Rate

• Harder to assess than heart rate
• Watch the chest rise and fall
• 12 to 18 breaths a minute is considered normal
• More than 25 and less than 12 breaths a minutes
  is considered abnormal

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Respiratory Distress

• Labored breathing or difficulty breathing is a
  medical emergency
• Partial or Complete Airway Obstruction
• Contact EMS
• CPR

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Blood Pressure

• The pressure exerted by circulating blood on the
  walls of blood vessels
• Sphygmomanometer instrument used to assess BP
• Normal
• 90/60 mm/Hg to 120/80 mm/Hg

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• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vluppKLO74vg
• Systolic pressure is the pressure of the blood
  flow when the heart beats
• First sound heard
• Diastolic pressure is the pressure between
  heartbeats
• Last sound is heard

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BP measurements

• Optimal less than 120 / less than 80
• Normal less than 135 / less than 85
• High 130-139 / 85-89
• Hypertension 140 or higher / 90 or higher
• Hypotension lt90 / lt60
• Low Blood Pressure

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High Blood Pressure

• Causes the heart to work harder
• Leaves the heart and the arteries more prone to
  injury
• High Blood Pressure increases the risk of heart
  attack, stroke, damage to the eyes, kidney
  failure, atherosclerosis and congestive heart
  failure.

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Causes of High Blood Pressure

• Heredity
• Race (African Americans are more likely to
  develop high blood pressure)
• Males (men have a greater chance of developing
  high blood pressure than women until age 55. 
  However, at over the age of 75, women are more
  likely to develop high blood pressure than men). 
  
• Sodium sensitivity (salt)
• Obesity and overweight
• Heavy alcohol consumption
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Diabetics or individuals with gout or kidney
  disease
• Age (the older people get, the more prone to high
  blood pressure)
• Some medications

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Other vital signs to check

• Pupil response
• PEARL (Pupils Equal And Responsive to Light)
• constricted pupils injury to the central
  nervous system and/or intake of depressant drugs
• dilated pupils head injury, shock, hemorrhage
  and/of intake of stimulant drug
• Level of Consciousness
• APVU Scale http//www.youtube.com/watch?vPGrahDeh
  ZFc
• Alert / Pain / Voice / Unresponsive
• Sensory Changes
• Bilateral comparison

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• Skin Color
• Weakness (Bilateral Comparison)

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Normal Vital Signs for Adults(according to
Medline Plus)

• Blood pressure 90/60 mm/Hg to 120/80 mm/Hg
• Breathing 12 - 18 breaths per minute
• Pulse 60 - 100 beats per minute
• Temperature 97.8 - 99.1 degrees Fahrenheit /
  average 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit