- afebrile
- when a patient’s temperature is back at their normal baseline and is no longer elevated to indicate a fever
- arrhythmia
- an abnormal heart rhythm caused by irregularities in electrical conduction through the heart or injury to the heart muscle itself
- arterial line
- a thin, hollow, flexible tube that is placed into a peripheral artery, such as the wrist or groin
- arterial pressure monitoring
- an invasive method of continuous blood pressure monitoring
- automatic blood pressure
- blood pressure taken using an automated blood pressure machine; no stethoscope is required
- blood pressure
- the pressure of blood as it presses against arterial walls
- brachial artery
- pulse point located on each side of the upper arm on the medial aspect superior to the antecubital fossa
- bradycardia
- when the heart rate (HR) is lower than the accepted norm of 60 beats per minute (bpm)
- carotid artery
- pulse point located on each side of the neck lateral to and above the trachea
- conduction
- a mechanism of heat transfer in which the skin encounters a cooler object, thus lowering its temperature
- convection
- a mechanism of heat transfer in which cooler air surrounds the body to cool it down
- diastolic blood pressure
- represents the arterial pressure of blood during ventricular relaxation, or diastole
- doppler blood pressure
- blood pressure taken using a Doppler machine
- doppler ultrasound device
- a handheld ultrasound tool that allows the examiner to hear the whooshing sound of the pulse
- dorsalis pedis artery
- pulse point located roughly atop both feet
- evaporation
- the transfer of heat through dissipation of sweat from the skin, thus cooling the body
- expiration
- the act of exhalation or breathing out
- external respiration
- the act of breathing in oxygen and breathing out carbon dioxide
- febrile
- with fever
- femoral artery
- pulse point located in the groin
- heart rate
- the number of times the heart beats in one minute
- homeostasis
- the process by which the human body maintains balance by adjusting to internal and external stimuli
- hypertension
- elevated blood pressure readings of 130/80 mm Hg or higher
- hyperthermia
- a condition that occurs when the core body temperature is more than 105.8°F (41°C)
- hypotension
- low blood pressure readings less than 90/60 mm Hg
- hypothermia
- a condition that occurs when the core body temperature is less than 95°F (35°C)
- inspiration
- the act of inhalation or breathing in
- internal respiration
- the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs and the cells
- Korotkoff
- pulse sound heard when obtaining a manual blood pressure
- left ventricular assist device
- a type of cardiovascular device that supports heart function by stimulating the left ventricle to beat
- manual blood pressure
- blood pressure reading taken using a sphygmomanometer and a stethoscope
- mean arterial pressure (MAP)
- represents the “average” pressure of blood in the arteries, that is, the average force driving blood into vessels that serve the tissues
- normothermia
- the targeted range for normal temperature
- orthostatic hypotension
- a drop in blood pressure of at least 20 mm Hg systolic or 10 mm Hg diastolic within three minutes when moving from a lying down (supine) or seated position to a standing (upright) position
- oxygen saturation
- measurement of the arterial oxyhemoglobin saturation (SpO2) of arterial blood
- palpation
- feeling with hands or fingers
- popliteal artery
- pulse point located behind both knees
- posterior tibial artery
- pulse point located posterior to the medial aspect of the ankle
- pulse
- the palpable way to assess the brief pressure increase in the arteries causing them to temporarily expand as the left ventricle pumps blood through them
- pulse equality
- a comparison of the pulse forces on both sides of the body
- pulse force
- the strength of the pulsation felt on palpation
- pulse oximeter
- a machine utilized to measure the oxygen saturation of blood
- pulse point
- where the artery is close to the surface
- pulse pressure
- the difference between systolic pressure and diastolic pressure
- pulse rate
- counted with the first beat felt by your fingers as “One.” It is considered best practice to assess a patient’s pulse for a full sixty seconds, especially if there is an irregularity to the rhythm
- pyrexia
- fever; a state outside of normal body thermoregulation where the core temperature is greater than 100.4°F (38°C)
- radial artery
- pulse point located at each wrist below the base of the thumb
- radiation
- heat from the body moving to cooler air, thus cooling the body
- respiration
- the action of breathing, including inhalation and exhalation
- respiratory acidosis
- having a blood pH less than 7.35 with a concurrent increase in carbon dioxide (CO2)
- respiratory alkalosis
- a systemic acid-base disorder that is caused by a reduction in carbon dioxide and a pH greater than 7.45
- sphygmomanometer
- manual blood pressure cuff
- systolic blood pressure
- reflects the arterial pressure resulting from the ejection of blood during ventricular contraction, or systole
- tachycardia
- heart rate faster than 100 beats per minute
- thermoregulation
- the automatic regulation of temperature that is carried out by the hypothalamus
- vital sign
- five key metrics of homeostasis—temperature, pulse (heart rate), blood pressure, respirations, and oxygen saturation—that are used by nurses and other members of the medical profession to ascertain a patient’s current physical status
- white coat hypertension
- sometimes called white coat syndrome; elevated blood pressure that results from a person’s conscious or unconscious fear and anxiety at being at the doctor’s office or in the presence of healthcare personnel