Show Vital signs are:
Traditionally the vital signs consist of:
Studies have only found pulse oximetry and smoking status to have significance in patient outcomes and may be included[4]. Vital signs can be influenced by a number of factors. It can vary based on age, time, gender, medication, or a result of the environment.
Vital signs play an important role in emergency departments (ED) and on the wards, to determine patients at risk of deterioration.
Components[edit | edit source]Body Temperature[edit | edit source]The normal body temperature for a healthy adult is approximately 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit/37.0 degrees centigrade. The human body temperature typically ranges from 36.5 to 37.5 degrees centigrade (97.7 to 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit). Health care providers use the axillary, rectal, oral, and tympanic membrane most commonly used to record body temperature, and the electronic and infrared thermometers are the devices most commonly used. Sites for measurement of body temperature[edit | edit source]
Body temperature is affected by many sources of internal and external variables. Besides the site of measurement, the time of day is an essential factor leading to variability in the temperature record, secondary to the circadian rhythm. Other factors influencing body temperature are gender, recent activity, a person's relative physical fitness, food, and fluid consumption, and, in women, the stage of the menstrual cycle. [3] Pulse Rate[edit | edit source]Pulse rate is defined as the wave of blood in the artery created by contraction of the left ventricle during a cardiac cycle. The most common sites of measuring the peripheral pulses are the radial pulse, ulnar pulse, brachial pulse in the upper extremity, and the posterior tibialis or the dorsalis pedis pulse as well as the femoral pulse in the lower extremity. Clinicians also measure the carotid pulse in the neck. In day to day practice, the radial pulse is the most frequently used site for checking the peripheral pulse, where the pulse is palpated on the radial aspect of the forearm, just proximal to the wrist joint. Parameters for assessment of pulse[edit | edit source]
Respiratory Rate[edit | edit source]The respiratory rate/the number of breaths per minute is defined as the one breath to each movement of air in and out of the lungs. The normal breathing rate is about 12 to 20 beats per minute in an average adult. In the pediatric age group, it is defined by the particular age group. Parameters that need to be included are its rate, depth of breathing, and its pattern rate of breathing.
Blood Pressure[edit | edit source]Blood pressure is the force of circulating blood on the walls of the arteries, mainly in large arteries of the systemic circulation. Blood pressure is taken using two measurements: systolic (measured when the heartbeats, when blood pressure is at its highest) and diastolic (measured between heartbeats, when blood pressure is at its lowest). Blood pressure is written with the systolic blood pressure first, followed by the diastolic blood pressure.[7] The direct measurement of BP requires an intra-arterial assessment but it is not practical in clinical practice so BP is measured via non-invasive means. Earlier BP is measure with a stethoscope while watching a sphygmomanometer (i.e auscultation). However, semiautomated and automated devices that use the oscillometry method, which detects the amplitude of the BP oscillations on the arterial wall, have become widely used over the past 2 decades. The brachial artery is the most common site for BP measurement. Key Points for Accurately Measuring BP[edit | edit source]All healthcare providers should be aware of making sure all the following pre-requisites are met before checking the blood pressure of the patient. The patient should:
Normative value[edit | edit source]According to the 2017 ACC/AHA Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High BP in Adults.[8]
Variability of Vital Signs in the Geriatric Age Group[edit | edit source]Since vital signs are an indication of the changes in our physiological processes, they tend to change as we age. As we age:
Resources[edit | edit source]References[edit | edit source]
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