Fundamentals of Nursing, Vital Signs, Exam Questions and Correct Answers 2024/2025.Afebrile Without fever Febrile With fever Apical pulse (aka "point of maximal impulse" or PMI) Central pulse; located at the apex of the heart (aka "point of maximal impulse" or PMI).Routinely used on infants - 3yrs. Helps determine discrepancies with radial pulse.Peripheral pulse Pulse located away from the heart; wrist or foot.Apical-radial pulse Normally apical & radial pulses are identical but an apical rate greater than the radial rate can indicate that the thrust of blood from the heart is too weak to be felt peripherally. Possible indication of vascular disease.Apnea Absence of breathing Arrhythmia (aka dysrhythmia) A pulse with an irregular rhythm (aka dysrhythmia).Arterial blood pressure Measure of the pressure exerted by the blood as it flows through the arteries.Arteriosclerosis Elastic & muscular tissues of the arteries are replaced with fibrous tissue, the arteries lose much of their ability to constrict & dilate. Common in middle aged & older adults.Auscultatory gap Occurs particularly in hypertensive people; is the temporary disappearance of sounds normally heard over the brachial artery when the cuff pressure is high followed by the reappearance of the sounds at a lower level.Basal metabolic rate (BMR) Rate of energy utilization in the body required to maintain essential activities such as breathing. Rates decrease with age. Generally younger people have higher BMR.Body temperature Reflects the balance between the heat produced & lost from the body. Measured in degrees.Bradycardia Heart rate in an adult of less than 60 bpm.Bradypnea Abnormally slow respirations.Cardiac output Volume of blood pumped into the arteries by the heart and equals the result of the stroke volume (SV) times the heart rate (HR) per min.Compliance Arteries ability to contract & expand. 1 / 2
Conduction The transfer of heat from one molecule to a molecule of lower temperature. Cannot take place without contact between the molecules & normally accounts for minimal heat loss.Constant fever Body temperature fluctuates minimally but always remains above normal.Convection Dispersion of heat by air currents.Core temperature Temperature of the deep tissues of the body such as the abdominal cavity & pelvic cavity. Remains relatively constant.Costal breathing (aka thoracic breathing) Involves external interest all muscles and other accessory muscles such as the sternocleidomastoid muscles. Can be observed by the movement of the chest upward & outward.Diaphragmatic breathing (aka abdominal breathing) Involves the contraction & relaxation of the diaphragm observed by the movement of the abdomen as a result of the diaphragms contraction & downward movement.Diastolic pressure Pressure when the ventricles are at rest. The lower pressure present at all times within the arteries.Dysrhythmia May consist of random irregular beats or a predictable pattern of irregular beats called "regularly irregular".Evaporation Continuous vaporization of moisture from the respiratory tract and from the mucosa of the mouth & skin.Exhalation (aka expiration) Breathing out or the movement of gases from the lungs to the atmosphere.Fever (aka pyrexia or hyperthermia) A body temperature above the usual range.Fever spike Temperature that that rises to a fever level rapidly following a normal temperature and then returns to normal within a few hours. Common to bacterial blood infections.Heat balance When the amount of heat produced by the body equals the amount of heat lost.Heat exhaustion Result of excessive heat & dehydration. Paleness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, fainting, & moderately increased temperature of 101-102.Heat stroke Persons generally have been exercising in hot weather, have warm flushed skin, and often do not sweat. Usually have a temperature of 106 or higher and may be delirious, unconscious, or having seizures.Hematocrit When the proportion of red blood cells to the blood plasma is high. Highly viscous blood; thick.Hyperpyrexia
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