Vital signs

Vital signs are objective measures of physiological function that are used to monitor acute and chronic disease and thus serve as a basic communication tool about patient status.1 Vital signs consist of the measurements of heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. Vital signs are used to monitor patient’s health status and also to monitor their recovery from certain diseases. Numerous physiological and pathological changes may occur with age and alter vital signs.1 Respiratory Rate Respiratory rate is the number of breaths a person does in a minute. In adults, normal normal respiratory rate is between 14-20 breaths/minute.2 In 1993, Fieselmann and colleagues informed that a respiratory rate higher than 27 breaths/minute was the most important predictor of cardiac arrest in hospital wards.3 Subbe and colleagues found that, in unstable patients, relative changes in respiratory rate were much greater than changes in heart rate or systolic blood pressure, and thus that the respiratory rate was likely to be a better way of differentiating between stable patients and patients at risk.4 Goldhill and colleagues reported that 21% of ward patients with a respiratory rate of 25–29 breaths/minute assessed by a critical care outreach service died in hospital.5 Those with a higher respiratory rate had an even higher mortality rate.5…

I have been study so much for the exam and I felt like I still have tons of study to do. I have always looking forward to clinical, but this time I felt like if I don’t do well on my exam, I won’t become a nurse. That’s why I have this conflict in my mind. Despite what was on my mind the night before, I drag my tired body up in the early morning of clinical day to work. I wanted to be like a professional nurse that is able to take care of the patients no matter what happened to their personal…

Vital signs include the measurement of: temperature, respiratory rate, pulse, and blood pressure. These numbers provide critical information about a patient’s health. Vital signs can identify the existence of an acute medical problem. Most patients will have had their vital signs measured at some point, which are documented on their records. When the patient knows how the tools work, the patient will understand their vital signs better. Starting with the temperature, there is a tool called a…

nurse delegated me to complete patient vital signs for thirteen of the sixty residents on our floor. This was a daily task that I completed often, so I had no problem, except we had one patient who was critically ill. I did not feel comfortable taking his vital signs. I was new at the job and felt incapable of taking the man’s vital signs because I tried and could not properly obtain his vitals. I told the nurse I did not feel comfortable taking his vital signs because I knew he was in a bad. I…

accomplishments at such a young age, had a great memory and was loved by all. Lewis was born with the condition of pectus excavatum, which causes a crease in the chest cavity. He has lived many years with this condition but decided to have elective surgery at the University of South Carolina Children’s Hospital, since there was potential to cause respiratory problems if not corrected. Once Lewis’ elective surgery was completed, his life came to an end five frightful days after, due to septic…

were designated to help care for an elderly gentleman who recently had an ischemic stroke. Our resident was sleeping in a chair in the center room and neither of us wanted to wake him until it was time for breakfast. I asked one of the LPNs on the unit if she needed any help and she wanted us to take our residents vital signs before medication administration. We awakened him and walked him to his room to provide for privacy while we took his vital signs, which included taking blood pressure…

make the routine more comfortable. I noticed she wasn’t sitting with a backrest; she was sitting on the edge of the bed faced away from the television. For C.Z.’s emotional health and for the sake of her experience with treatment, I would try to make her more comfortable. Encourage her to lie on the bed or sit in a chair facing the television. I am a firm believer that the little things like this can make the difference for the patient, so while it is not a medical intervention, I believe it is…

Well dressed and groomed, no odor; Alert * Orient to name, time, and circumstance; Affect: appropriate for the situation, pleasant; no signs of distress; no involuntary movement. Overall body structure: lean, symmetrical and proportional; sitting hunched over leaning to the left. Focused assessment: resident unable to ambulate independently; wheelchair bound; unable to test gait, Romberg, and LE; Hand grips 5+ and = Bil; UE gross and fine motor coordination intact = Bil. All DTR’s intact 2+, =…

Step 1: Review the ED physician record. Note presenting signs and symptoms, lab values, medical history, and the ED physician’s impression, as well as the reason why the patient is being admitted. Note any diagnostics or procedures performed in the ED. Don’t forget this part of the admission, because you might be using the ED record as the basis for an attending query, such as acute respiratory failure for a dyspneic patient intubated in the ED. Step 2: Look for the physician’s document of the…

A 25-year-old woman presents to the emergency department complaining of chills, right facial swelling, purulent nasal discharge from the right nostril and retro-orbital headache on the same side for the past four days. The woman has a 15-year history of type 1 diabetes and reports difficulty in controlling her blood sugars over the same period. Her glucometer typically shows blood sugars ranging between 300-400 mg/dL and she says that they peaked at a critical range (above 500) two times…