1. Vital Signs
Medical Science 1

2. Lesson Objectives Understand Learn How to:
What vitals are and how to document them
Learn How to:
Take Pulse Rate
Take Respiration Rate
Take Blood Pressure

3. What are vital signs?
Outward signs of what is going on inside of the body
Pulse
Respirations
Blood Pressure
Skin Color
Temperature
Pupils

4. Pulse Heart pumps blood through blood vessels
Blood passes through arteries in waves
Surges of blood through the arteries can be felt as pulses
The number of pulses felt in a minute is equal to the number of heart beats in a minute
Two Components: Rate and Quality
Rate=Beats/min
Quality: How it feels – strong, weak, thready…

5. Pulse Locations
Radial Pulse
Carotid Pulse
Brachial Pulse

6. Average Pulse Ranges Age Beats/min 14+ 60-100 11-14 60-105 6-10 70-110
… …
Newborn

7. Respirations Respiration = The act of breathing
Measured in breaths per min
2 actions of respiration are: inspiration and exhalation
Inspiration = breath in
Exhalation = breath out
1 breath = 1 inspiration & 1 exhalation

8. Respiration Components
Rate and Quality (just like pulse)
Rate = Breaths/min
Quality = normal, shallow, labored, noisy
What do you think,
normal?

9. Average Respiration Ranges
Age Breaths/min
… …
Newborn

10. Blood Pressure Definition:
The force of blood against the walls of the blood vessels
When the heart contracts and forces blood in the arteries – Systolic Pressure
When the heart is relaxed, the remaining pressures in the arteries – Diastolic Pressure

11. Blood Pressure Presented in the form: Systolic Diastolic
Average Blood pressure = 120/80

12. How to Take Blood Pressure
Position the blood pressure cuff
Arrow over brachial artery
Put stethoscope properly into your ears
Place the head of the stethoscope on the brachial artery, below the BP cuff
Pump the BP cuff to 160 mmHG
Slowly release pressure by turning value counterclockwise
1st sound heard = systolic pressure
Last sound heard = diastolic pressure

13. Blood Pressure by Palpation
Very similar to previous procedure, but no stethoscope is used
Instead, place your hand on the radial pulse
Pump BP cuff to 160 mmHG
Slowly release the value
First pulse felt = Systolic pressure
Diastolic pressure cannot be measured this way
Documented: (Systolic)/Palp.

14. Now it’s your turn.
Take the pulse, respiration rate, blood pressure by auscultation (stethoscope), and blood pressure by palpation of 10 students.
Record the values you obtain for these measurements, while maintaining the privacy of the client.