vital signs

1. Sarah A. Hirsch, RN MSN MBA
Sarah.A.Hirsch@lonestar.edu
Spring 2020

2. Vital Signs
• Indicators of physiologic functioning and reflect the health status of a
person
• Include
• Temperature (T)
• Pulse (P)
• Respiration (R)
• Blood pressure (BP)
• 5th vital sign? (Pain)
• Frequency

3. When to Assess Vital Signs
• On admission
• Institutional policies and procedures
• Change in client condition
• Before and after surgical or invasive diagnostic procedure
• Before and after activity that may increase risk
• Before administering certain medications

4. Factors Affecting Frequency of Vital Signs
Assessment
• Patient’s medical diagnosis
• Co-morbidities
• Types of treatment received
• Patient’s acuity level

5. Types of Fever
• Intermittent: temperature returns to normal at least once every 24
hours
• Remittent: temperature does not return to normal and fluctuates a
few degrees up and down
• Sustained or continuous: temperature remains above normal with
minimal variations
• Relapsing or recurrent: temperature returns to normal for one or
more days with one or more episodes of fever, each as long as several
days

6. Pulse Physiology
• Regulated by the autonomic nervous system through cardiac
sinoatrial node
• Parasympathetic stimulation – decreases heart rate
• Sympathetic stimulation – increases heart rate
• Pulse rate = number of contractions over a peripheral artery in 1
minute

7. Characteristics of the Peripheral Pulse
• Rate
• Amplitude and quality
• Rhythm
• Regularity

8. Respirations
• Ventilation: movement of air in and out of lungs
• Inhalation – breathing in
• Exhalation – breathing out
• Diffusion
• Exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the alveoli of the lungs and
circulating blood
• Perfusion
• Exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between circulating blood and tissue
cells

9. Blood Pressure
• Primary
• Secondary