Question | Answer |
List physiological factors which determine blood pressure - | 1 - Blood volume; 2 - Peripheral resistance (Blood thickness) 3 - Vessel elasticity; 4 - Condition of the heart muscle & arterial walls |
What is a normal diatolic reading? | 60 - 80 |
What is a normal systolic reading? | 90 - 140 |
Define Prehypertension - | A BP with a diastolic reading of 80 - 88 |
Define Hypertension - | A BP with a diastolic reading over 90 |
BP is measured in what? | Millimeters of mercury or mm Hg |
What is the name of the method used to obtain a BP using a stethoscope? | Auscultatory |
List what is meant by vital signs - | Pt temp, pulse, respiration & BP |
What does TPR stand for? | Temperature, Pulse, Respiration |
Describe phase I of BP - | First sound heard as cuff deflates |
Describe phase II of BP - | More blood thru cuff, can hear a swish sound, |
Describe phase III of BP - | Loud sounds continue |
Describe phase IV of BP - | Sounds get quieter; last sound heard is diastolic reading |
Describe phase V of BP - | No sounds, blood flows freely |
What is the medical term for when sounds stop and restart while taking BP? | Auscultory Gap |
During what phase are you likely to hear the Auscultory gap? | Phase II |
What is a normal adult pulse reading? | 60 - 100 |
What is a normal pulse reading for a baby or infant? | Greater than 100 |
What happen to a persons pulse when they are hemorrhaging? | Pulse increases |
What happens to a persons BP when they are hemorrhaging? | BP decreases |
What is the normal respiration rate for an adult? | 14 - 22 |
What are the names of the different pulse sites? | 1 - Temporal; 2 - Carotid; 3 - Apical; 4 - Brachial; 5 - Radial; 6 - Femoral; 7 - Popliteal; 8 - Dorsalis pedis |
Where is the temporal pulse located? | To the side of the head just above the ear and towards the eye |
Where is the carotid pulse located? | Side of the neck |
Where is the apical pulse located? | In the chest area near left breast, over apex of heart |
Where is the brachial pulse located? | Antecubital or inner aspect of the elbow for adults or teens; for infants or young children in the grove between the biceps & triceps muscles on the inner surface of the mid-upper arm |
Where is the radial pulse located? | Thumb side of the wrist |
Where is the femoral pulse located? | Where the femoral artery passes through the groin. ( You must press deeply below the inguinal ligament to palpate this pulse) |
Where is the popliteal pulse located? | Behind the knee |
Where is the dorsalis pedis pulse located? | Across the arch of the foot, just slightly lateral to the midline, beside the extensor tendon of the great toe |
What pulse location is most commonly used? | Radial |
When performing CPR, what pulse location is used? | Carotid |
When is the apical pulse location used? | Infants, young children, or adults where radial pulse is hard to feel or is irregular. |
Where do you check the pulse of a infant or young child when performing CPR? | Brachial (in the grove between the biceps & triceps muscles on the inner surface of the mid-upper arm) |
When is the brachial pulse used? | When taking blood pressure |
What is the popliteal pulse used for? | Checked by physician with stethoscope if a circulatory system problem such as a blood clot is suspected in the lower leg |
When is the dorsalis pedis pulse site used? | This area is a good indicator of normal lower limb circulation and arterial sufficiency; Dr. might use for pt with peripheral vascular problems such as those with Diabetes mellitus |
What are the three characteristics of pulse? | 1 - Rate; 2 - Rhythm; 3 - Volume |
What is one pulse that is unpalpable? | Subclavian artery |
Where is the subclavian pulse located? | Under the clavicle |
What is orthostatic hypotension? | When the pt stands their BP drops (It should go up) |
How do you verify pt has orthostatic hypotension? | Take BP with pt lying down, sitting up and standing. (All three must be completed within 6 minutes.) |
What does pulse oximetry check? | Arterial oxygen % in the blood using a finger sensor |
What is the normal range for a pulse oximetry reading? | 95 - 100% |
Give an example of a hypotenive BP reading - | 76 / 40 |
What are the different types of thermometers? | 1 - Digital; 2 - Tympanic; 3 - Disposable |
What is the fastest way to take a temperature? | Tympanic |
How would you take the temperature of a child under 3? | Tympanic |
When taking an axillary temperature, how is the patient placed? | Thermometer is placed in axillary fold (Armpit) with patients are down and folded across the abdomen |
What is the most common cause of fever? | Infection (bacterial or viral) |
What temperatures are considered febrile? | 1 - Rectal or tympanic over 100.4 degrees; 2 - Oral temperature over 99.5 degrees; 3 - Axillary temperature over 98.6 degrees; |
Define fever of unknown origin (FUO) - | A fever over 100.9 degrees for three weeks in adult and 1 week in a child without a known related diagnosis |
What symptoms often accompany fever? | Anorexia (Loss of appetite), headache, thirst, flushed face, hot skin, general malaise |
What can high fevers in children cause? | Febrile seizures |
Name three fever patterns - | 1 - Continuous fever; 2 - Intermittent faver; 3 - Remittent fever |
What are drugs used to decrease fever called? | Antipyretics (Ex: acetaminophen, ibuprofen, aspirin) |
What affect do pyrogens have on the physiology of fever? | Pyrogens are proteins that can re-set the temperature regulation of the hypothalamus |
Why does pyrogens raise the bodies temperature? | 1 - It may inhibit some viruses & bacteria; speeds up body metabolism; raised metabolism causes cells to move faster; chemical reactions occur faster; resulting in a faster mobilization of your defenses & faster repair & recovery |
Define inflammation - | A local tissue response to injury; (It is beneficial & helps the body heal) |
What are the three things inflammation does? | 1 - Provide temporary repair; 2 - slows the spread of pathogens away from the injured site; 3 - Mobilizes defenses to destroy pathogens & facilitate permanent repair |
What is another name for vital signs? | Cardinal signs |
What are anthropometric measurements? | They are not vital signs but are taken at the same time. (Ex: HT, WT, BMI, and other body measurements |
What is the control center of pulse & respiration? | Melldula |
Describe respiration physiology - | The melldula stimulates the phrenic nerve which stimulates the diaphragm. When the diaphragm pushes up, air is released, when the diaphragm pushes down the lungs pull air in |