Fundamentals of Nursing-Vital Signs

Summary:

Chapter 29 of Fundamentals of Nursing (Kozier & Erb) covers vital signs, which include body temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure. Pain is also considered the fifth vital sign and pulse oximetry is measured. Vital signs reflect changes in body function, and establishing baseline data is essential for comparison.

There are several times when vital signs should be assessed, such as when there is a change in the patient’s health status, during hospital admissions or office visits to establish baseline data, when patients report symptoms, before and after surgery, before and after nursing interventions, and before and after administering medication.

Body temperature is a balance between heat production and heat loss and can be measured as core temperature (deep tissues of the body) or surface temperature (superficial part of the body). Heat is a byproduct of metabolism, and various factors affect heat production and loss, such as basal metabolic rate, muscular activity, thyroid hormone output, epinephrine, norepinephrine, stress response, and fever.

Heat loss occurs through radiation, conduction, convection, and evaporation. The hypothalamus plays a crucial role in regulating body temperature, and various factors, including age, diurnal variations, exercise, hormones, stress, environment, and food intake, can affect body temperature.

Alterations in body temperature can lead to fever or hypothermia. Fever results from an increase in cellular metabolism, while hypothermia occurs when the core body temperature drops below the lower limit of normal.

Pulse, another vital sign, refers to the wave of blood created by the contraction of the heart’s left ventricle. Pulse can be assessed at various sites, such as temporal, carotid, apical, brachial, radial, femoral, popliteal, posterior tibial, and dorsalis pedis. The rate, volume, rhythm, and ease or effort of breathing can be used to assess respirations.

Excerpt:

Fundamentals of Nursing-Vital Signs

CHAPTER 29 OF FUNDAMENTAL OF NURSING (KOZIER & ERB)
VITAL SIGNS
VITAL SIGNS – body temperature, pulse, respirations, and blood pressure (the traditional)
VITAL SIGNS – pain is considered to be the 5th vital sign.
VITAL SIGNS – pulse oximetry is also measured.
VITAL SIGNS – reflect changes in function
VITAL SIGNS – baseline data is important for comparison