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Bonewit Chapter 4
Vital Signs
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Adventitious sounds | Abnormal breathing sounds. |
| Afebrile | Without fever; the body temperature is normal. |
| Alveolus | A thin-walled air sac of the lungs in which the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place. |
| Antecubital space | The space located at the front of the elbow. |
| Antipyretic | An agent that reduces fever. |
| Aorta | The major trunk of the arterial system of the body. The aorta arises from the upper surface of the left ventricle. |
| Apnea | The temporary cessation of breathing. |
| Axilla | The armpit. |
| Bounding pulse | A pulse with an increased volume that feels strong and full. |
| Bradycardia | An abnormally slow heart rate (less than 60 BPM.) |
| Bradypnea | An abnormally decrease in the respiratory rate of less than 10 respirations per minute. |
| Celsius scale | A temperature scale on which the freezing point is 0 deg and the boiling point of water is 100 deg; also called the centigrade scale. |
| Conduction | The transfer of energy, such as heat, from one object to another by direct contact. |
| Convection | The transfer of energy, such as heat, through air currents. |
| Crisis | A sudden falling of an elevated body temperature to normal. |
| Cyanosis | A bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes. |
| Diastole | The phase in the cardiac cycle in which the heart relaxes between contractions. |
| Diastolic pressure | The point of lesser pressure on the arterial wall, which is recorded during diastole. |
| Dyspnea | Shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing. |
| Dysrhythmia | An irregular rhythm; also termed arrhythmia. |
| Eupnea | Normal respiration. The rate is 16 to 20 respiratiions per minute, the rhythm is even and regular, and depth is normal. |
| Exhalation | The act of breathing out. |
| Fahrenheit scale | A temperature scale on which the freezing point of water is 32 deg and the boiling point of water is 212 deg. |
| Febrile | Pertaining to fever. |
| Fever | A body temperature that is above normal; synonym for pyrexia. |
| Frenulum linguae | The midline fold that connects the undersurface of the tongue with the floor of the mouth. |
| Hyperpnea | An abnormal increase in the rate and depth of respiration. |
| Hyperpyrexia | An extremely high fever. |
| Hypertension | High blood pressure. |
| Hyperventilation | An abnormally fast and deep type of breathing, usually associated with acute anxiety conditions. |
| Hypopnea | An abnormally decrease in the rate and depth of respiration. |
| Hypotension | Low blood pressure. |
| Hypothermia | A body temperature that is below normal. |
| Hypoxemia | A decrease in the oxygen saturation of the blood. Hypoxemia may lead to hypoxia. |
| Hypoxia | A reduction in the oxygen supply to the tissues of the body. |
| Inhalation | The act of breathing in. |
| Intercostal | Between the ribs. |
| Korotkoff sounds | Sounds heard during the measurement of blood pressure that are used to determine the systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings. |
| Malaise | A vague sense of body discomfort, weakness, and fatigue that often marks the onset of a disease and continues through the course of the illness. |
| Manometer | An instrument for measuring pressure. |
| Meniscus | The curved surface on a column of liquid in a tube. |
| Orthopnea | The condition in which breathing is easier when an individual is in a sitting or standing position. |
| Pulse oximeter | A computerized device consisting of a probe and monitor used to measure the oxygen saturation of arterial blood. |
| Pulse oximetry | The use of a pulse oximeter to measure the oxygen saturation of arterial blood. |
| Pulse pressure | The difference between the systolic and diastolic pressures. |
| Pulse rhythm | The time interval between heartbeats. |
| Pulse volume | The strength of the heartbeat. |
| Radiation | The transfer of energy, such as heat, in the form of waves. |
| SaO2 (saturation of arterial oxygen) | Abbreviation for the percentage of hemoglobin that is saturated with oxygen in arterial blood. |
| SpO2 (saturation of peripheral oxygen) | Abbreviation for the percentage of hemoglobin that is saturated with oxygen in arterial blood as measured by a pulse oximeter. |
| Sphygmomanmometer | An instrument for measuring arterial blood pressure. |
| Stethoscope | An instrument for amplifying and hearing sounds produced by the body. |
| Systole | The phase in the cardiac cycle in which the ventricles contract, sending blood out of the heart and into the aorta and pulmonary aorta. |
| Systolic pressure | The point of maximum pressure on the arterial walls, which is recorded during systole. |
| Tachycardia | An abnormally fast heart rate (more than 100 bpm). |
| Tachypnea | An abnormal increase in the respiratory rate of more than 20 respirations per minute. |
| Thready pulse | A pulse with a decreased volume that feels weak and thin. |