Download Vital Signs

CHAPTER 12
SPORTS MEDICINE II
WHAT ARE VITAL SIGNS?
 Homeostasis: a state of equilibrium within the
body maintained through the adaptation of body
systems to changes in either the internal and
external environment.
 When injury/illness occurs the body’s ability to
maintain homeostasis is impaired – which will show
in a person’s Vital Signs.
 Vital Signs: Assessment of pulse, respiration,
blood pressure, and temperature.
 Important for health care providers to know what are
normal and abnormal vital signs.
WHAT ARE THE FOUR MAIN VITAL SIGNS?
 Body Temperature
 Thermometer
 Pulse
 Stethoscope or
 Blood Pressure
 Respirations
Palpation
 Sphygmomanometer
 Watch or Clock
PULSE
 Blood vessels expand and contract every time the
heart beats.
 Blood flows though the vessels and waves of blood
cause a rhythmic “thumping” in the arteries.
 A pulse can only be felt in an artery because arteries
are the vessels that carry blood away from the heart
to the rest of the body.
 Pulse: a vital sign; a measurement of the heart beat
using the fingers to palpate an artery or a
stethoscope to listen to the heartbeat.
PULSE
 A pulse tells us how often the heart beats.
 A change in pulse indicates a change in a patient’s
status. (Ex: Rapid but weak = shock, Absence =
cardiac arrest)
 Most common place to take a pulse is at the radial or
carotid pulse.
NORMAL PULSE RANGES
 Pulse rates vary depending on: age, size of patient,
physical condition.
 Recorded in beats per minute (bpm).
 Adult = 60 – 100 bpm
 Well Conditioned Athlete = 50 – 60 bpm (Because
the heart muscles receive more exercise)
 Babies to age 1: 100 – 160 bpm
 Children ages 1 – 10: 60 – 140 bpm
 Children ages 11 – 17: 60 – 100 bpm
PULSE
 Tachycardia: Pulse rates higher than normal (Above
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100 in adults)
Bradycardia: Pulse rates lower than normal (Below 60
in adults; different for well conditioned athletes)
Rhythm of pulse – regular (doesn’t change) or irregular
(speeds up and/or slows down).
Strength or quality of pulse – weak or strong.
When noting pulse rate on a medical form indicate:
1. Rate – (Ex: 65 bpm)
2. Regularity of rhythm
3. Strength or Quality
MEASURING PULSE
 Place the patient’s hand in a resting position on a
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surface palm up.
Feel along the inside of the wrist with your
fingertips, locating the radial pulse below the thumb.
Do not use your thumb, as it has a pulse of its own.
Look at your watch or clock and find a starting point.
Count the beats you feel for 30 seconds and then
multiply by 2.
If the pulse is irregular, count for a full minute and
don’t multiply.
RADIAL PULSE
 Record your own radial pulse.
 Take turns and record your partner’s radial pulse.
MEASURING A CAROTID PULSE
 Use the pads of your first two fingers, and place them
directly over one side of the front of the patient’s
neck.
MEASURING A CAROTID PULSE
 Find your own carotid pulse.
 Count the beats that you feel underneath of your
finger tips for 30 seconds and multiply by two.
 Record your partner’s carotid pulse rate.
RESPIRATION
 Respiration: Breathing; the process of bringing
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oxygen into the body and expelling carbon dioxide
from the body.
Oxygen is brought into the body to be utilized by
cells.
Carbon dioxide is expelled because it is a waste
product of the cells.
If breathing patterns are altered and the body is
deprived of oxygen, serious damage can occur to the
vital organs.
Absence of respiration indicates a blocked airway or
death.
RESPIRATION
 Respiration = consists of one inspiration and one
expiration.
 Age 15 and older: 15 to 20 breaths per minute
 A well conditioned athlete: 6 – 8 breaths per minute
RESPIRATION PATTERNS
 Abdominal: respirations using primarily the abdominal
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muscles while the chest is mostly still
Apnea: stopped breathing – temporary or permanent
Bradypnea: abnormally slow breathing
Cheyne-Stokes respiration: irregular breathing pattern of
periods of apnea lasting 10-60 seconds followed by periods of
fast and slow breathing
Decreased: very little air movement in the lungs
Dyspnea: difficult or painful breathing; shortness of breath
Hyperpnea or tachypnea: breathing that is faster or
deeper; hyperventilation
Kussmaul’s breathing: deep, gasping respirations
Labored breathing: difficult breathing that uses shoulder
muscles, neck muscles, and abdominal muscles.
MEASURING RESPIRATIONS
 When a person focuses on their breathing pattern,
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the rate of respirations is often altered.
Therefore, it is best to not tell a patient you are
watching their breathing pattern.
Look at your watch and find a starting point.
Count each time the patient’s chest rises and falls = 1
single respiration.
Count respirations for 30 seconds and multiply by 2.
If breathing is irregular, count for a full minute
BLOOD PRESSURE
 Blood Pressure (BP):
the measurement of the
pressure exerted by the
circulating blood against
the walls of the arteries.
 Systolic Pressure: the
top number of your BP.
The BP when the heart
contracts.
 Diastolic Pressure:
the bottom number of
your BP. The BP when
your heart is at rest.
BLOOD PRESSURE
 BP is affected by several factors:
 Condition of the arteries and the force of the heartbeat.
 Age, exercise, obesity, food, pain, stress, stimulants,
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medications.
Gender and heredity can influences a person’s BP.
Although BP increases with exercise, it helps to lower
overall BP because the heart becomes strong and healthy.
An unhealthy person’s heart has to work harder to
circulate blood throughout the body.
Abnormal BP is a sign of various health problems.
ABNORMAL BP
 A systolic value below 100 or above 139
 A diastolic value below 65 or above 89
 Implications:
 Hypotension: Low BP; may indicate shock,
dehydration, or internal injury.
 Hypertension: High BP; can exert extreme
pressure on blood vessels, can lead to cardiac
problems and strokes.
 Possible causes – obesity, lack of exercise, too much
salt in diet, and stress.
HOW TO MEASURE BP
1. Ask the patient to roll
their sleeve about 6
inches above the elbow.
2. Have them extend their
arm, palm up, at heart
level.
3. Place the BP Cuff
securely around the
arm, 2 inches above the
bend in the elbow.
4. Be sure that the arrow
on the BP cuff is placed
over the brachial artery.
HOW TO MEASURE BP
5. Place the earpieces of the
stethoscope in your ears with
the tips pointing slightly
forward.
6. Place the diaphragm of the
stethoscope over the brachial
pulse at the bottom of the BP
cuff.
7. Hold the diaphragm with
you non-dominant hand.
8. Close the control valve.
9. Quickly squeeze the bulb
with your dominant hand
until you can no longer hear
the pulse (About 140-200)
HOW TO MEASURE BP
10. Slowly and steadily open the valve. (This will release
the air in the cuff)
11. Listen for the 1st clear tapping sound. When you hear it
note the number on the gauge - (Systolic).
12. Continue to steadily deflate until you hear the last
sound, note the number on the gauge – (Diastolic).
TEMPERATURE
 Core temperature: the internal body temperature.
 The body’s core temperature must remain within a
relatively narrow range for its systems to function
properly.
 Normal Temperature = 98.6 degrees F
 Oral temperature is the preferred method.
 Tympanic thermometer – in the ear.
MEASURING TEMPERATURE
 Wait at least 15 minutes after patient has had anything to
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eat or drink.
Check to make sure the digital thermometer is working.
Place a disposable cover on the thermometer.
Place the probe in the patient’s mouth underneath of the
tongue.
Ask the patient to close their lips.
When the thermometer beeps remove it from the
patient’s mouth.
Dispose of the cover.
Record the temperature reading.