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What are vital signs?
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Persons temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure.
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How often are vital signs assessed in patients with elevated temperature, high/low BP, changes in P rate or rhythm, or respiratory difficulties, along with patient that are taking cardiovascular/respiratory medications, or who have had surgery?
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Every 4 hours in the hospital setting.
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Do the severly ill sometimes get vital signs taken more often then every 4 hours in the hospital setting?
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Yes.
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In the home and self care facilities, how often are the vital signs assessed?
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Made as frequently as the nurse judges necessary
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If vital signs are delegated to other healthcare personnel, whose responsibility is it to ensure accuracy of that data?
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The nurse is responsible to ensure accuracy of data and report abnormal findings and double check the assessment.
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Is PAIN sometimes included as a vital sign?
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Yes
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What is body temperature
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The heat of the body measured in degrees which indicated the production/loss of heat.
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What is normal core body temperature?
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36.0 C which is 97.0 F TO 37.5 C which is 99.5 F
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Core body temps are lowest when? and highest when?
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Lowest in the early evening, and highest in the late afternoon
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Temperatures differ in various parts of the body, is the core temperature higher than the surface body temperature
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Yes
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What areas can core temperature be measured
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Tympanic, rectal, sometimes in the esophagus, pulmonary artery or bladder by invasive monitoring devices.
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Surface body temperatures are measured where
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Orally (sublingual) and axillary sites
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Core body temperature is regulated where in the body
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By thermoregulatory center in the hypothalamus
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What is the primary source of heat in the body
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Metabolism, with heat produced as a byproduct
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What two hormones are utilized by the body when extra heat is needed to be produced
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Epinepherine and norepinepherine (sympathetic neurotransmitters)
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