1. VITAL SIGNS Vital Access to the Patients True Condition

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

3. 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

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

5. Vital Signs5 Pulse Pulse Points Carotid Brachial Radial Femoral Popliteal

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

7. Vital Signs7 Pulse Normal Rate –Adult 60-80 Beats/minute –Child 80-110 Beats/minute –Infant 120-150 Beats/minute

8. Vital Signs8 Pulse Rhythm –Regular –Irregular –Irregularly Irregular

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

10. Vital Signs10 Respirations Rate –Adult 12-24 Resp/min –Child 20-28 Resp/min

11. Vital Signs11 Respirations Rate –Infant 30-70 Resp/min @ birth 30 Resp/min @ 6 months

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

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

14. 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

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

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

17. Vital Signs17 Auscultated Blood Pressure Child 94 - 100 56 - 64

18. Vital Signs18 Auscultated Blood Pressure Infant –At Birth 60 - 80 40 - 76 –At 6 Months 90 40-76

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

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

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

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