Chapter 19 Vital Signs
PRETEST True or False
_____ 1. The heat-regulating center of the body is the medulla.
_____ 2. A vague sense of body discomfort, weakness, and fatigue that often marks the onset of a disease is known as the blahs.
_____ 3. If an axillary temperature of 100° F was taken orally, it would register as 101° F.
_____ 4. If the lens of a tympanic membrane thermometer is dirty, the reading may be falsely low.
_____ 5. Chemical thermometers should be stored in the freezer.
_____ 6. The femoral pulse site can be used to assess circulation to the foot.
_____ 7. The term used to describe an irregularity in the heart’s rhythm is dysrhythmia.
_____ 8. Pulse oximetry gives the provider information on the amount of oxygen being delivered to the tissues.
_____ 9. Blood pressure measures the contraction and relaxation of the heart.
_____ 10. When taking blood pressure, the stethoscope is placed over the brachial artery.
POSTTEST True or False
_____ 1. A temperature of 100° F is classified as a low-grade fever.
_____ 2. The rectal site should not be used to take the temperature of a newborn.
_____ 3. A tympanic membrane thermometer should not be used to measure temperature on a child younger than 6 years of age.
_____ 4. A temporal artery temperature reading is the same as an oral reading.
_____ 5. Excessive pressure should not be applied when measuring a pulse because it could obstruct the pulse.
_____ 6. A child has a faster pulse rate than an adult.
_____ 7. The normal respiratory rate of an adult ranges between 10 and 18 respirations per minute.
_____ 8. The term used to describe a bluish discoloration of the skin due to a lack of oxygen is hypoxia.
_____ 9. The oxygen saturation level of a healthy individual falls between 85% and 90%.
_____ 10. When measuring blood pressure, the patient’s arm should be positioned above the level of the heart.
KEY TERM ASSESSMENT
A. Definitions Directions: Match each key term with its definition. Temperature Directions: Match each key term with its definition
. _____ 1. Afebrile
_____ 2. Antipyretic
_____ 3. Axilla
_____ 4. Celsius scale
_____ 5. Conduction
_____ 6. Convection
_____ 7. Crisis
_____ 8. Disinfectant
_____ 9. Fahrenheit scale
_____ 10. Febrile
_____ 11. Fever
_____ 12. Frenulum linguae
_____ 13. Hyperpyrexia
_____ 14. Hypothermia
_____ 15. Malaise
_____ 16. Radiation
A. An extremely high fever
B. An agent used to destroy disease-producing microorganisms but not necessarily their spores (usually applied to inanimate objects)
C. A body temperature that is below normal
D. The armpit
E. The transfer of energy, such as heat, through air currents
F. A body temperature that is above normal (pyrexia)
G. An agent that reduces fever
H. A temperature scale on which the freezing point of water is 32° and the boiling point of water is 212°
I. The transfer of energy, such as heat, in the form of waves
J. A temperature scale on which the freezing point of water is 0° and the boiling point is 100°
K. The midline fold that connects the undersurface of the tongue with the floor of the mouth
L. Pertaining to fever
M. The transfer of energy from one object to another by direct contact
N. A sudden falling of an elevated body temperature to normal
O. Without fever; the body temperature is normal
P. A vague sense of body discomfort, weakness, and fatigue often marking the onset of a disease and continuing through the course of the illness
PULSE
Directions: Match each key term with its definition.
_____ 1. Antecubital space
_____ 2. Aorta
_____ 3. Bounding pulse
_____ 4. Bradycardia
_____ 5. Dysrhythmia
_____ 6. Intercostal
_____ 7. Pulse rhythm
_____ 8. Pulse volume _
_____ 9. Tachycardia
_____ 10. Thready pulse
A. Between the ribs
B. A pulse with an increased volume that feels very strong and full
C. The strength of the heartbeat
D. The space located at the front of the elbow
E. An abnormally fast heart rate (more than 100 beats per minute)
F. The major trunk of the arterial system of the body
G. The time interval between heartbeats
H. A pulse with a decreased volume that feels weak and thin
I. An irregular rhythm
J. An abnormally slow heart rate (less than 60 beats per minute)
Respiration and Pulse Oximetry Directions: Match each key term with its definition.
_____ 1. Alveolus
_____ 2. Apnea
_____ 3. Bradypnea
_____ 4. Cyanosis
_____ 5. Dyspnea
_____ 6. Eupnea
_____ 7. Exhalation
_____ 8. Hyperpnea
_____ 9. Hyperventilation
_____ 10. Hypopnea
_____ 11. Hypoxemia
_____ 12. Hypoxia
_____ 13. Inhalation
_____ 14. Orthopnea
_____ 15. Pulse oximeter
_____ 16. Pulse oximetry
_____ 17. SaO2
_____ 18. SpO2
_____ 19. Tachypnea
A. The act of breathing out
B. A reduction in the oxygen supply to the tissues of the body
C. A decrease in the oxygen saturation of the blood; may lead to hypoxia
D. The temporary cessation of breathing
E. An abnormal increase in the respiratory rate of more than 20 respirations per minute
F. A computerized device consisting of a probe and monitor used to measure the oxygen saturation of arterial blood
G. An abnormal decrease in the rate and depth of respiration
H. A thin-walled air sac of the lungs in which the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place
I. The use of a pulse oximeter to measure the oxygen saturation of arterial blood
J. The act of breathing in
K. A bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes first observed in the nail beds and lips
L. Abbreviation for the percentage of hemoglobin that is saturated with oxygen in arterial blood
M. The condition in which breathing is easier when an individual is in a standing or sitting position
N. Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
O. Abbreviation for the percentage of hemoglobin that is saturated with oxygen in arterial blood as measured by a pulse oximeter
P. Normal respiration
Q. An abnormally fast, deep type of breathing usually associated with acute anxiety conditions
R. An abnormal decrease in the respiratory rate of fewer than 10 respirations per minute
S. An abnormal increase in the rate and depth of respiration
Blood Pressure
Directions: Match each key term with its definition.
_____ 1. Diastole
_____ 2. Diastolic pressure
_____ 3. Hypertension
_____ 4. Hypotension
_____ 5. Meniscus
_____ 6. Pulse pressure
_____ 7. Sphygmomanometer
_____ 8. Stethoscope
_____ 9. Systole
_____ 10. Systolic pressure
A. The curved surface on a column of liquid in a tube
B. High blood pressure
C. The point of maximum pressure on the arterial walls
D. The phase in the cardiac cycle in which the heart relaxes between contractions
E. An instrument for measuring arterial blood pressure
F. The point of lesser pressure on the arterial walls
G. Low blood pressure
H. The phase in the cardiac cycle in which the ventricles contract, sending blood out of the heart and into the aorta and pulmonary aorta
I. An instrument for amplifying and hearing sounds produced by the body
J. The difference between the systolic and diastolic pressures
