Nursing 20G - Vital Signs > 1) Key Terms > Flashcards

1) Key Terms Flashcards

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1
Q

What is afebrile?

A
  • Without fever
  • Normal body temperature
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2
Q

What are antipyretics?

A
  • Medications that reduce fever
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3
Q

What is an auscultatory gap?

A
  • Momentary silence between systolic and diastolic sounds when taking blood pressure
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4
Q

What is basal metabolic rate (BMR)?

A
  • Minimum energy required for basic body functions at rest
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5
Q

What is blood pressure?

A
  • Force exerted by circulating blood on walls of blood vessels
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6
Q

What is bradycardia?

A
  • Slow heart rate, below normal range
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7
Q

What is cardiac output?

A
  • Amount of blood pumped by the heart per minute
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8
Q

What is Celsius?

A
  • Temperature scale where water freezes at 0°C and boils at 100°C
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9
Q

What is conduction?

A
  • Transfer of heat between objects by direct contact
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10
Q

What is convection?

A
  • Transfer of heat by movement of a liquid or gas
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11
Q

What is core temperature?

A
  • Temperature of the body’s internal organs
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12
Q

What is diaphoresis?

A
  • Profuse sweating
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13
Q

What is diastolic blood pressure?

A
  • Blood pressure between heartbeats when heart is relaxing
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14
Q

What is diffusion?

A
  • Spread of particles from high to low concentration
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15
Q

What is a dysrhythmia?

A
  • Abnormal heart rhythm
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16
Q

What is eupnea?

A
  • Normal relaxed breathing
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17
Q

What is evaporation?

A
  • Vaporization of a liquid to a gas
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18
Q

What does febrile mean?

A
  • Having a fever
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19
Q

What is a fever?

A
  • Elevated body temperature above normal range
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20
Q

What is a fever of unknown origin?

A
  • Fever with no identified cause after investigation
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21
Q

What is frostbite?

A
  • Freezing of body tissues from exposure to extreme cold
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22
Q

What is heat exhaustion?

A
  • Condition caused by exposure to high temperatures and dehydration
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23
Q

What is heatstroke?

A
  • Life-threatening failure of thermoregulation from extreme heat
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24
Q

What is hematocrit?

A
  • Percentage of red blood cells in total blood volume
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25
What is hypertension?
- Abnormally high blood pressure
26
What is hyperthermia?
- Elevated body temperature above normal range
27
What is hypotension?
- Abnormally low blood pressure
28
What is the hypothalamus?
- Part of brain that regulates body temperature
29
What is hypothermia?
- Abnormally low body temperature
30
What is hypoxemia?
- Low oxygen levels in the blood
31
What is malignant hyperthermia?
- Rare but potentially fatal adverse reaction to general anesthesia - Characterized by rapid rise in body temperature, muscle rigidity, etc. - Treated with dantrolene and supportive care
32
What is masked hypertension?
- High blood pressure only present outside of clinical setting - Normal readings in doctor's office but elevated at home
33
What is nonshivering thermogenesis?
- Production of body heat without shivering - Occurs through metabolism of brown fat
34
What is orthostatic hypotension?
- Sudden drop in blood pressure upon standing up - Due to blood pooling in lower extremities
35
What is perfusion?
- Passage of blood through capillary beds to supply tissues
36
What is postural hypotension?
- Drop in blood pressure from change in body position
37
What is a pulse?
- Palpable rhythmic expansion of an artery from blood flow
38
What is a pulse deficit?
- When radial pulse rate is less than heart rate - Indicates arrhythmia or blocked blood flow
39
What is a pulse oximeter?
- Device that measures oxygen saturation in blood
40
What is pulse pressure?
- Difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressures
41
What is pyrexia?
- Abnormally high body temperature/fever
42
What are pyrogens?
- Substances that cause fever by affecting hypothalamus
43
What is the radial pulse?
- Pulse felt at the radial artery in the wrist
44
What is radiation?
- Transfer of heat from a warm object to cooler surroundings
45
What is shivering?
- Involuntary muscle contractions to generate body heat
46
What is a sphygmomanometer?
- Device used to measure blood pressure
47
What is stroke volume?
- Amount of blood pumped from ventricle per beat
48
What is systolic blood pressure?
- Blood pressure during ventricular contraction
49
What is tachycardia?
- Abnormally rapid resting heart rate
50
What is thermoregulation?
- Process of maintaining normal body temperature
51
What is tidal volume?
- Amount of air inhaled/exhaled with each breath
52
What is ventilation?
- Process of inhaling and exhaling air
53
What are vital signs (VS)?
- Body measurements used to assess health status - Include temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure
54
What is white coat hypertension?
- Elevated blood pressure only in clinical setting - Normal at other times
55
What are the most frequent measurements obtained by healthcare providers?
- Temperature - Pulse - Blood pressure - Respiratory rate - Oxygen saturation
56
Why are these measurements referred to as vital signs? - Temperature - Pulse - Blood pressure - Respiratory rate - Oxygen saturation
- They indicate the effectiveness of circulatory, respiratory, neural, and endocrine functions - Their importance in assessing health status
57
What factors can cause vital signs to change?
- Environmental temperature - Physical state - Activities - Illness
58
What is the "fifth vital sign"?
- Pain - Its assessment influences other vital signs - Necessary to include in baseline data
59
What do vital signs provide?
- Important data to determine usual state of health (baseline) - Indication of physiological changes requiring intervention
60
How are vital signs measured?
- Inspection - Palpation - Auscultation
61
Why is careful measurement technique important?
- Ensures accurate and consistent vital sign findings
62
How are vital signs interconnected?
- Increase in temperature often increases respiratory rate and pulse - Blood pressure and pulse often rise/fall together
63
What is an exception to blood pressure and pulse rising/falling together?
- In hypovolemic shock or severe infection, blood pressure falls as pulse increases
64
What is the basis for clinical problem solving?
- Vital signs and other physiological measurements
Nursing 20G - Vital Signs
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