VITAL SIGNS Vital Access to the Patients True Condition

Vital Signs2 Vital signs are an outward clue to what is going on in the patient’s body

Vital Signs3 Baseline Vital Signs provide a starting point to evaluate the status of a patients condition A tool for the EMT and other medical professionals to monitor changes within the patients condition

Vital Signs4 It is important to monitor “trends” in Vital Signs rather than individual sets of Vital Signs

Vital Signs5 Pulse Pulse Points Carotid Brachial Radial Femoral Popliteal

Vital Signs6 Pulse Pulse Points Dorsal Pedal Posterior Tibial (Posterior and slightly inferior to medial Malleolus)

Vital Signs7 Pulse Normal Rate –Adult Beats/minute –Child Beats/minute –Infant Beats/minute

Vital Signs8 Pulse Rhythm –Regular –Irregular –Irregularly Irregular

Vital Signs9 Pulse Quality –Full –Weak (Thready) –Bounding

Vital Signs10 Respirations Rate –Adult Resp/min –Child Resp/min

Vital Signs11 Respirations Rate –Infant birth 30 6 months

Vital Signs12 Respirations Rhythm –Regular –Irregular –Fast –Slow

Vital Signs13 Respiration Quality –Full –Deep –Shallow –Noisy

Vital Signs14 Blood Pressure Systolic - Pressure on the arterial wall when the heart contracts Diastolic - Pressure on the arterial wall when the heart is at rest Coronary Arteries are opposite

Vital Signs15 Blood Pressure Auscultated BP - Listening for both the systolic and diastolic values Palpated BP - Feeling for the systolic pressure

Vital Signs16 Auscultated Blood Pressure Adult –Male 100+ Age (up to 50) » 80 –Female 90 + Age (up to 50) » 80

Vital Signs17 Auscultated Blood Pressure Child

Vital Signs18 Auscultated Blood Pressure Infant –At Birth –At 6 Months

Vital Signs19 Estimating Blood Pressure Radial Pulse Present? –>80 Systolic

Vital Signs20 Estimating Blood Pressure Femoral Pulse Present? –>70 Systolic –<80 Systolic

Vital Signs21 Estimating Blood Pressure Carotid Pulse Present? –>60 Systolic –<70 Systolic

Vital Signs22 Don’t Loose Focus Treat the patient not the machine Any Questions?