Mrs. Brodermann

 Weight  Three types of scales Balance beam scales Dial scales Digital scales  Who gets weighed Pregnant patients Infants Children Older adults Medical diagnosis Medication based on weight Conditions such as CHF or Edema

 Height  Measured using movable ruler found on the back of most balance beam scales  Taken in infants and children

 Reflects the balance between the heat a person’s body produces and the heat it loses  Core temperature  Adults – 98.6 (97 to 99 is normal) This person is considered afebrile A febrile patient has a temperature above 99 degrees Farenheit  Factors affecting temperature  Age – children have a higher body temperature and elderly have lower temp.  Gender – women are hotter. Especially during ovulation and pregnancy

 Exercise – burning calories raises temperature  Time of Day – Cooler in the morning  Emotions – rises during stress  Illness  Sites for measuring temperature  Mouth – ranges from  Rectum –  Axillary – 96.6 – 98.6  Tympanic –  Types of thermometers  Electronic  Tympanic  Temporal  Disposable

 Normal pulse is between beats per minute  Factors affecting pulse  Time of day – lower in the morning  Gender – Women are faster.  Body type and size – thin, tall people have lower pulse rate  Exercise – higher when exercising  Stress or emotions – higher  Fever – will increase up to 10 beats per minute  Medications – many affect pulse  Blood volume – decreased blood volume makes heart beat faster

 Pulse sites  Carotid artery – runs on either side of the neck  Brachial artery – found at the bend of the elbow  Radial artery – found in the wrist  Femoral artery – at the function of the upper thigh and the torso  Popliteal artery – behind the knee  Posterior tibial artery – near the rounded bone at the inner ankle  Dorsalis pedis artery – top of the foot

 Pulse characteristics  Rate  Rhythm  Strength Regular or irregular Arrhythmias Bradycardia Tachycardia Bounding (forceful) Thready Strong weak

 Normal respiratory rate is  Characteristics  Rate per minute Infant 20+ Child – Adult –  Rhythm Spacing between breaths  Depth Shallow, deep or regular

 Factors affecting respiration  Medications such as morphine  Pain (dyspnea)  Position (orthopnea)  Periods of no breathing are called apnea Periods lasting longer than 4-6 minutes can cause brain damage or even death.  Assessing respiration  One full cycle of rise and fall of the chest is one breath  Count for a full minute  Abnormal sounds Wet Dry (crackles) High-pitched sounds (wheezing)

 Systolic  Highest pressure level during contraction  Diastolic  Lower pressure as the artery drops and relaxes  Both are measured in millimeters of mercury  Normal BP is 120/80  Hypertension/hypotension  Many factors can affect blood pressure  Age, activity, stress, body position and medications.  Orthostatic hypotension – positional drop in pressure  Cautions  Do not measure BP is arms with IV lines, Dialysis shunts, major cuts or wounds, post mastectomy side.

 Includes the following:  Date  Weight  Temp  BP  Pulse  Resp  Pulse Ox  Pain  Initials