Know What the 5 Vital Signs Are
- Temperature
- Heart Rate
- Respiration Rate
- Oxygen Saturation
- Blood Pressure
Know What Normal Vital Signs Throughout the Lifespan
AGE RELATED VARIATIONS IN NORMAL VITAL SIGNS
Age |
Temp (C/F) |
Pulse (beats per min) |
Respirations (breaths per min) |
Blood Pressure (mm HG) |
Newborn |
35.9 - 36.9 C 96.7 - 98.5 F |
70-190 |
30-55 |
73/55 |
Infant |
37.1 - 38.1C 98.7 - 100.5 F |
80-150 |
20-40 |
85/37 |
Toddler |
37.1 - 38.1C 98.7-100.5F |
70-120 |
20-30 |
89/46 |
Child |
36.8-37.8C 98.2-100F |
70-115 |
20-25 |
95-57 |
Preteen |
35.8-37.5C 96.4-99.5F |
65-110 |
18-26 |
102/61 |
Teen |
35.8-37.5C 96.4-99.5F |
55-105 |
12-22 |
112/64 |
Adult |
35.8-37.5C 96.4-99.5F |
60-100 |
12-20 |
120/80 |
Aged Adult (65+) |
35.8-36.8C 96.4-98.3F |
40-100 |
16-24 |
120/80 |
Know When to Assess Vital Signs
- On admission and discharge
- Based on your workplace’s policy and procedures
- When there is a change in the patient’s condition (examples: loss of consciousness, a fall, or the patient reports not feeling well)
- Before and after a surgical or invasive diagnostic procedure (examples: dialysis and any surgery)
- Before administering medications that affect cardiovascular and respiratory function
Know How to Assess Vital Signs
You should have learned this in your health assessment class and clinicals but if you need a review go back to your health assessment textbook or notes and make sure you practice on your friends and family.
Know How to Convert Temperatures From Celsius to Fahrenheit and Vice Verus
Conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit
(9/5 * C) + 32 = degrees in Fahrenheit
Conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit
(9/5 * C) + 32 = degrees in Fahrenheit
Know The General Factors That Affect Vital Signs
- Circadian Rhythms
- Age
- Gender
- Exercise
- State of Health and Medical Conditions
- Stress and Emotions
- Medications, Alcohol and Illegal Drugs
- Weight
- Body Positioning
- Alterations in Fluid Balance
- Trauma
- Infection
- Pain
- Caffeine
- Having a Full Bladder
It is beneficial to know these factors so that you are able to make an accurate assessment of the patient.
Know the Difference between a Peripheral and Apical Pulse
Know What Pulse Amplitude Is
Pulse amplitude describes the quality of the pulse in terms of its fullness and strength. Pulse amplitude is when you palpate a pulse and it is given a grade. A grade of 0 would mean that the pulse is absent and you cannot palpate it. A grade of +1 means the pulse is diminished and weaker than expected. A grade of +2 is a normal pulse. A grade of +3 would be a bounding pulse.
Know the Types of Respiration Patterns
|
Description |
Associated |
Normal |
12-20 breaths/min Regular |
normal pattern |
Tachypnea |
>24 breaths/min Shallow |
fever, anxiety, exercise, respiratory disorders |
Bradypnea |
<10 breaths/min Regular |
depression of respiratory center caused by med, brain damage |
Hyperventilation |
increased rate and depth |
exercise, fear, diabetic ketoacidosis |
Hypoventilation |
decreased rate and depth, irregular |
overdose |
Cheyne-Stokes Respirations |
alternating periods of deep, rapid, breathing followed by periods of apnea; regular |
drug overdose, heart failure, renal failure |
Biot’s Respirations |
varying depth and rate of breathing followed by periods of apnea; irregular |
meningitis, severe brain damage |
Know When Not Assess Blood Pressure and Temperature the Standard Way
There are times when you should not assess blood pressure in a specific limb. If someone has had a mastectomy, lymph node removal, recent surgery, a broken bone, has an HD line, or a central line you should not take a blood pressure reading in that limb.
When taking a temperature you should select the site depending on age, state of consciousness, pain, and other current medical treatments. For example, if a patient has recently drank their streaming hot cup of morning coffee then you should avoid taking an oral temperature. Know that a rectal temperature should not be taken on newborns.
Know The Vocabulary That Goes Along With Vital Signs
There are a lot of vocabulary terms that you should know that are related to vital signs. If you need practice memorizing these, make flashcards and study them a couple of times a day.
Vocabulary Related to Temperature
- Afebrile: person with normal body temperature
- Febrile: person with fever
- Hypothermia: low body temp
- Hyperthermia: high body temp
- Hyperpyrexia: when fever is equal to or greater than 106 F
- Neurogenic fever: a fever that is the result of damage to hypothalamus from causes such as intracranial trauma, intracranial bleeding, increased intracranial pressure
Vocabulary Related to Blood Pressure
- Systole: blood pressure reading when the heart ventricles contract
- Diastole: blood pressure when the heart ventricles relax
- Korotkoff sounds: series of sounds that nurses listens to in order to determine BP, first sound is the systolic pressure, the diastolic pressure is when the sounds disappear
- Hypertension: above normal blood pressure
- Hypotension: below normal blood pressure
- Orthostatic hypotension: decrease in systolic blood pressure of 20 mm Hg or decrease in diastolic blood pressure of 10 mm Hg within 3 minutes of standing when compared with BP from sitting or lying down
- Pulse Pressure: difference between systolic and diastolic pressure
Know The Vocabulary That Goes Along With Vital Signs
- Bradycardia: a heart rate lower than 60 beats per minute
- Tachycardia: a heart rate greater than 100 beats per minute
- Dysrhythmia: irregular pattern of heartbeats
Vocabulary Related to Respirations
- Ventilation: breathing, respiration
- Inspiration: inhalation
- Expiration: exhalation
- Perfusion: exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between blood and tissue
- Eupnea: normal, unlabored respiration
- Tachypnea: increased respiration rate
- Hyperventilation: more than the normal amount of air entering and leaving the lungs
- Hypoventilation: decreased rate and depth of breaths
- Bradypnea: decrease in respiratory rate
- Apnea: periods which there is no breathing
- Dyspnea: difficult or labored breathing
- Orthopnea: type of dyspnea where breathing is easier when sitting up or standing
- Cheyne-Stokes Respirations: alternating periods of deep, rapid, breathing followed by periods of apnea
- Biot’s Respirations: varying depth and rate of breathing followed by periods of apnea