Chapter 6- Vital Signs and Oxygen Administration
Which of the following are essential parts of initial assessment of a patient who is in the diagnostic imaging department for an invasive procedure?
Taking a pulse, temperature, respiration rate, and blood pressure.
Systolic blood pressure
The highest point reached during contraction of the left ventricle.
What range of breaths per minute is the normal adult respiratory rate?
15 to 20
An adult patient is considered to be hypertensive or have hypertension if the systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure are consistently greater than:
140 systolic over 90 diastolic.
Oxygen can be toxic to patients if it is incorrectly used. State two reasons why this is so:
Oxygen is considered a medicine, and too much can cause severe lung damage, especially since aerobic infections can thrive with extra oxygen. If the patient has COPD, then the extra oxygen may depress the respiratory system, causing the patient to go into respiratory arrest.
A patient may be considered to have tachycardia if the pulse rate is higher than:
100 bpm.
Which of the following items must be in the diagnostic imaging department and in working order?
Blood pressure monitoring equipment, and oxygen delivering system
What is the normal body temperature of an adult?
97.8 to 99 degrees Fahrenheit.
Brachial Artery
point where the BP is most often measured.
Sphygmomanometer
measures blood pressure.
Radial artery
point where the pulse is most often measured.
Clinical thermometer
measures body temperature.
Stethoscope
measures apical pulse.
Name the two most commonly used oxygen delivery systems:
Nasal cannula and face mask
List the hazards of oxygen administration
Too much can be toxic, cause lung injuries, and possibly kill COPD patients. Aerobic bacteria thrive in over-oxygenated environments. Oxygen tanks are also incredibly combustible; smoking or sparks can cause an explosion. Accidentally breaking off the cap can force the condensed air out and cause frostbite.
Explain why the pulse rate goes up when the blood pressure drops.
Because when the blood pressure goes down, it usually means that there isn't enough blood to need a lot of pressure. If there isn't a lot of blood to pump, there isn't a lot of oxygen getting delivered. That means the heart pumps faster to get oxygen in and carbon dioxide out, which leads to a higher pulse rate.