Vital Signs Packet:

Pages: 1-6 Fill in the Blank Lecture Notes

10 points
Page 7: Vital Signs Practice Sheet 10
points
Page 7: Steps to taking blood pressure,
pulse rate, respiratory rate, and
temperature 40 points
Page 8: Steps to taking an apical pulse
and Practice Chart 20 points
Page 9: Practice questions 9 points
Page 10: Labeling 7 points
Page 12:Lab Day 40 points
Total 136 points

Vital Signs
Used to look at the condition of the body
Mainly the ____cardiovascular____
and _______respiratory_______ system
Five vital signs are: pulse, respirations, blood pressure, temperature, and pain
Homeostasis
Balance between all body systems
Pulse:
Oxygen rich blood enters the arteries and goes to the capillaries to deliver oxygen to the
tissues
From the capillaries oxygen depleted blood enters the veins and returns to the heart
Each time the heart beats the rhythmic feeling that can be felt with your fingertips is the
____pulse__________.
The pulse reflects the condition of the _____circulatory system_________ and
___cardiac function________________.
When there is a change in pulse there is a change in _______patient
status_____________
Normal pulse rate _____60-100____________
Normally adults are around_______70-80____________
Pulse Description
Rate: _____how fast/slow_______________
Rhythm: ___regular/irregular______________
Quality:
Weak- hard to find pulse
Strong
Thready: weak and rapid
Bounding: full and strong
Rapid Weak Pulse May Indicate: shock, bleeding, diabetic coma, heat exhaustion
Rapid Strong Pulse May Indicate: heat stroke, severe fright, pain

Strong Slow Pulse May Indicate: skull fracture, stroke, brain injury
Absence of a Pulse Indicates: dead, cardiac arrest, begin CPR
Rate Abnormalities
Tachycardia
: Above ___100_______
Bradycardia
: Below ___60_____
Athletes Heart Rate
Athletes may have a resting heart rate of ___50-60__________
Why: exercise allows the heart to be stronger thus pushing more oxygenated blood out
with each beat
Exercise allows the heart to be stronger thus pushing more oxygenated blood out with
each beat.
Pulse Sites
Carotid: to asses for a pulse in an unresponsive person, never check both sides at the
same time
Unequal pulse strengths could indicate a stroke
____temporal______________: Usually not used for pulse rate
_____brachial_____________: Felt for blood pressure checks
______femoral________: To check for circulation in the legs
Pulse Sites:
Popliteal: to check for circulation below the knee
Should be checked in the event of a ___________knee
dislocation__________________, popliteal artery damage could occur from this
Dorsalis Pedis: check for circulation in the feet
What increases our pulse rate?
Caffeine: can increase heart rate and blood pressure
Coffee, tea, chocolate, cocoa, diet pills, energy supplements
Mild to moderate amounts 2 6 oz cups of coffee, 201 mg of coffee) are okay
Can cause increased ______urination_________________
The fluid you consume in caffeinated beverages tends to offset the fluid that is
urinated
Therefore caffeinated beverages do not necessarily cause dehydration
Caffeine:

Concerns must be applied when drinking caffeine without properly

__________hydrating__________ with water before physical activity
Dehydration:
Increase in heart rate due to ______decrease___________ of fluid in the blood volume
This causes the heart to have to pump more to get the same amount of volume to the body
Stress
Releases ____cortisol_________ which increases our heart rate
Tobacco Products
Nicotine will increase the pulse and blood pressure
Sedentary Lifestyle
Individuals who are not conditioned physically will have an
___increased________________ resting heart rate and blood pressure
Respiration:
____oxygen______________ is required to break down food into energy for the body
When more energy is required in exercise the respiratory rate increases
What affects respiratory rate?
Excitement
Drugs
Diabetic coma
Heart and lung disease
The absence of respiration indicates a blocked airway, death, brain injury, paralysis of the
diaphragm
Respiratory rate
Normal rate: ____12-20__________
An athlete may have a ____lower_____________resting respiratory rate because of
increased lung volumes and vital capacity
Respirations
___Abdominal________: the chest is still, the abdominal muscles are used to breathe
___Apnea__________ a temporary or permanent cessation of breathing
_____Bradypnea_____________ abnormally slow breathing
_________Cheyne Stokes___________ irregular pattern, intermittent periods of apnea
(could last as long at 30 seconds to 3 minutes) usually in dying patients
Decreased: very little air movement in the lungs
Dyspnea: trouble breathing
Tachypnea: hyperventilation, fast breathing pattern
Labored Breathing: used accessory muscles to breathe (shoulder, neck, or abdominal
muscles)

Respirations Volume:
The volume of respirations can be described as deep or shallow:
Deep: takes in high volume breaths
Shallow: takes in low volume breaths (shock or hyperventilation)
Blood Pressure:
Measurement of the ________force________ of the blood exerted against the walls of
the arteries
Systolic: top number (when the heart contracts)
Diastolic: bottom number (when the heart is at rest)
Blood Pressure
Affected by a number of factors such as:
Amount of blood or body fluids in the body
Condition of the arteries
Force of the heartbeat
Age, exercise, obesity, food , pain, stress stimulants, steroids can increase the blood
pressure
Weight loss, fasting, depression, blood loss can lower blood pressure
Blood Pressure:
A poorly conditioned heart will have to work harder to pump blood to the body
This is why athletes with a conditioned heart will have a __lower resting blood pressure_
Abnormal Values
Less than 100/65
Greater than 139/89
Hypotension
Hypotension may indicate:
Shock
Hypoglycemia
Dehydration
Internal injury
Hypothyroidism
Heart failure
Heat exhaustion
sepsis
Hypertension:
Puts unneeded pressure on the arteries
Obesity
Smoking
Drugs (cocaine, amphetamines)
Energy drinks
Too much salt in diet

Things to Remember:
If the cuff size is too big or too small it will give an _______inaccurate___________
reading
Temperature:
Hypothalamus in the brain controls the bodys temperature
Heat is produced as the body metabolizes calories that we eat
If the brain senses a decrease in heat it will signal the body to shiver and constrict blood
vessels to conserve heat.
If there is too much heat the vessels will dilate and the body will sweat
Rectal Temperature
Most accurate way to take temperature
Take this route during a suspected _____heat stroke_______________
Things to Remember:
Evaluate the patients pain 0-10 scale
Red skin: heat stroke, high blood pressure
Pale skin: blood loss, shock, and insulin shock
Blue skin: respiratory insufficiency
Things to Remember:
Pupils should be of ____equal _______ size and reaction:
Should ____constrict________ when light is shined into them
Should ____dilate__________ when it is dark
Things to Remember
Athlete should be alert and oriented
Should have equal strength and sensation in extremities

Initials

Pulse

Respiratory
Rate

Blood
Pressure

Oral
Temperature

MA

85

12

110/70

97.5

KC

84

15

100/80

98

MM

66

13

120/90

97.6

HM

83

12

110/80

98.4

CD

77

16

120/80

97.8

Pick 5 partners and record their vital signs above.

Initials

Apical Pulse
Rate

Normal/Abnor
mal

MD

60

normal

KC

63

normal

MA

71

normal

CD

58

normal

MM
75
normal
List the steps to correctly obtaining an apical pulse.
Place by apex of heart and listen for lub dub noises for a minute if
regular

Practice Questions:
Define apical pulse:
Measure of cardiac function that is completed by placing a stethoscope
at the apex of the heart and counting for one minute
In what situations would it be needed to take an apical pulse?
When the radial pulse is too difficult to obtain
Why are apical pulses typically taken in infants and children?
They move around a lot
What is an irregular heartbeat called?
Arrhythmia

How do you convert from Celcius to Farenheight?

Multiply by 1.8 and add 32
How do you convert from Farenheight to Celcius?
Subtract 32 and multiply by 5/9

How long must you wait before taking a temperature if the patient has
been eating, drinking, or smoking?
15 minutes
Define and List the symptoms of heat stroke.
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a condition marked by fever and often by unconsciousness, caused by

failure of the body's temperature-regulating mechanism when exposed
to excessively high temperatures
High body temperature. A body temperature of 104 F (40 C) or higher
is the main sign of heatstroke.
Altered mental state or behavior. ...
Alteration in sweating. ...
Nausea and vomiting. ...
Flushed skin. ...
Rapid breathing. ...
Racing heart rate. ...
Headache.
Define and List symptoms of hypothermia.
The condition of having an abnormally low body temperature, typically one that is
dangerously low.
Confusion, memory loss, or slurred speech.
Drop in body temperature below 95 Farenheit.
Exhaustion or drowsiness.
Loss of consciousness.
Numb hands or feet.
Shallow breathing.
Shivering.

Labeling: Below name the pulse site beside the letter.

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A: temporal
B: carotid
C: brachial
D: radial
E: femoral
F: popliteal
G: dorsum plexus`

Lab Day:
Station #1
o Carries right pupil is dilated and her left pupil is
normal
o This indicates a neural injury
o When the pupil is exposed to light the pupil dilates
(gets smaller).
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Station #2
o Check to see if grip in one hand is stronger than the
other or if one leg is stronger than other. Also ask
patients if they are experiencing numbness or
tingling which could mean there is a head/neuro
injury
Station #3
o Look at chart
Station #4
o Haley has a high blood volume
o Haley could be having a heat stroke, fright, or pain.
Station #5
Laura has a low blood volume
o Laura could have shock, bleeding, or heat
exhaustion
Station #6
o Lebron could be suffering from a skull fracture,
stroke, or hyperventilation.
Station #7
o Abdominal respirations- the chest is still, the
abdominal myscles are used to breath
o Apnea- temporary/permanent cessation of breathing
o Bradypnea- slow breathing
o Cheyne Stokes- irregular pattern, usually in dying
patients
o Decreased breathing- very little air movement
o Tachypnea- hyperventilation, fast breathing
o Labored- uses muscles to breath
o Dyspnea- trouble breathing
Station #8
o Hypotension causes- dehydration, shock, internal
injury, heart failure
o Hypertension causes- obesity, salt, drugs, smoking
Station #9
o Heaths vital signs are in no way abnormal
o They do not warrant a concern because all of his
signs are very close to the normal average rate.
Station #10
Station #11
o Carotid- neck, check circulation in brain
o Brachial- arm, check circulation in arm
o Radial-wrist, check circulation to fingers

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o Popliteal- back of knee- check circulation below

knee
o Dorsalis pedis- foot, check if circulation is going to
feet/toes
o Femoral- crotch area, check if circulation is getting
to legs

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