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vital signs chp 4
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Adventitious sounds | Abnormal breath 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 very strong and full. |
| Bradycardia | An abnormally slow heart rate. (less than 60 beats per minute. |
| Bradypnea | An abnormal decrease in the respiratory rate of less than 10 respirations per minute. |
| Celsius scale | A tempaturescale on which the freezing point of whater is 0 degrees and the boiling point of water is 100 degrees; 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 phrase 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 respirations per minute, the rhythm is even and regular, and the depth is normal. |
| Exhalation | The act of breathing out. |
| Fahrenheit scale | A temperature scale ib which the freezing point of water is 32 degrees and the boiling point of water 212 degrees. |
| 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 respirations. |
| 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 abnormal decrease in the rate and depth of 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 tissue 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 reading. |
| Malaise | A vague sense of body discomfort, weakness, and fatigue that often marks onset of a disease and continues through the course of the illness. |
| Manotmeter | An instrument for measuring pressure. |
| Meniscus | Te curved surfaced 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 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. |
| Sphygmomanometer | 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 if the heart and into the aorta and pulmonary aorta. |
| Systole pressure | The point of maximum pressure in the arterial walls, which is recorded during systole. |
| Tachycardia | An abnormally fast heart rate. (more than 100 beats per minute) |
| Thready pulse | A pulse with a decreases volume that feels weak and thin. |