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Afebrile
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Absence of Fever (without fever; body temperature is normal)
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Afebrile
Absence of Fever (without fever; body temperature is normal)
Afterload
Force against which the heart pumps when ejecting blood (is the pressure or resistance against flow)
Antipyretics
Drugs that reduce fever
Apical Heart Rate
Number of ventricular contractions per minute
Apical-Radial Rate
Number of sounds heard at the heart's apex and the rate of the radial pulse during the same period
Apnea
Absence of breathing ( inability to breath)
Arrhythmia
Irregular pattern of heartbeats
Auscultatory Gap
Period during which sound disappears then reappears when taking a blood pressure measurement ( temporary disappearance of sound when taking a patient's BP)
Automated Monitoring Devices
Equipment that allows the simultaneous collection of multiple vital sign data
Blood Pressure
Force exerted by blood in the arteries
Bradycardia
A pulse rate less than 60 beats per minute (bpm) in an adult ( slow heart rate)
Cardiac Output
Volume of blood ejected from the left ventricle per minute ( heart rate x stroke volume, CO = HR (beats/minute) X SV (liters/beat) - Normal adult: 4-8 liters/minute)
Centigrade Scale
Scale that uses 0°C as the temperature at which water freezes and 100°C as the point at which it boils
Cerumen
Ear Wax
Clinical Thermometers
Instruments used to measure body temperature
Core Temperature
Warmth at the center of the body
Diastolic Pressure
Pressure in the arterial system when the heart relaxes and fills with blood during Diastole.
Doppler Stethoscope
Device that helps detect sounds created by the velocity of blood moving through a blood vessel
Drawdown Effect
Cooling of the ear when it comes in contact with a thermometer probe
Dyspnea
Difficult or labored breathing
Dysrhythmia*
Irregular pattern of heartbeats*
Fahrenheit Scale
Scale that uses 32°F as the temperature at which water freezes and 212°F as the point in which it boils
Febrile
Elevated body temperature (relating to a fever)
Fever
Body temperature that exceeds 99.3°F (37.4°C)
Frenulum
Structure that attaches the undersurface of the tongue to the fleshy portion of the mouth
Hypertension
High Blood Pressure
Hyperthermia
Excessively high core temperature
Hyperventilation
Rapid or deep breathing, or both
Hypotension
Low Blood Pressure
Hypothalamus
Temperature-Regulating structure in the brain
Hypothermia
Core body temperature less than 95°F (35°C)
Hypoventilation
Diminished Breathing (Reduced Breathing)
Korotkoff Sounds
Noises heard when taking blood pressure (Sounds that result from the vibrations of blood within the arterial wall or changes in blood flow)
Metabolic Rate
Use of calories for sustaining body functions (rate of metabolism-Rate at which the body converts stored energy into working energy)
Offsets
Predictive mathematical conversions
Orthopnea
Breathing that is facilitated by sitting up or standing( Inability to breathe unless in an upright or straight position, EX:, form of dyspnea associated with asthma and emphysema and angina pectoris)
Orthostatic Hypotension
Sudden but temporary drop in blood pressure when rising from a reclining or seated position (abnormally low blood pressure when the person suddenly stands up; postural hypotension)
Palpitation
Awareness of one's own heart contraction without having to feel the pulse (a trembling or shaking; rapid beating or pulsing of the heart)
Piloerection
Contraction of arrector pili muscles in skin follicles (hair-raising, goose-bumps in humans)
Postural Hypotension
Sudden but temporary drop in blood pressure when rising from a reclining or seated position (unusually low blood pressure upon standing)
Preload
Volume of blood that fills the heart and stretches the heart muscle fibers during its resting phase (volume of blood in ventricles at end of diastole, just prior to contraction)
Pulse
Wave-like sensation that can be palpated in a peripheral artery (caused by the alternating expansion and relaxation of the artery wall)
Pulse Deficit
Difference between the apical and radial pulse rates ( occurs with some heart conditions; caused when heart is to weak and doesn't pump enough blood to produce a pulse or when the heart beats to fast and there isn't enough time for the heart to fill with blood)
Pulse Pressure
Difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements (results from the increase in pressure produced by the contraction of the ventricles followed by a sudden fall in pressure produced by ventricular relaxation, 30 - 50 mm Hg is considered w/in normal limits)
Pulse Rate
Number of peripheral arterial pulsations palpated in a minute (the rate at which the heart beats)
Pulse Rhythm
Pattern of the pulsations and pauses between them (Regularity- time interval between heartbeats)
Pulse Volume
Quality of the pulsations that are felt ( Strength of the beat; can be weak: thready to full: bounding)
Pyrexia
Fever (a rise in the temperature of the body)
Respiration
Exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide (the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation)
Respiratory Rate
Number of ventilations per minutes (number of breaths you take each minute,the rate at which a person inhales and exhales)
Set Point
Optimal body temperature (the desired value of the system)
Shell Temperature
Warmth at the skin surface (is temperature closer to the the surface (oral cavity and skin) - adult varies normally from 97.9 - 98.6 ° F)
Speculum
Metal or plastic instrument for widening the vagina or other body cavity (a medical instrument for dilating a bodily passage or cavity in order to examine the interior)
Sphygmomanometer
Device for measuring blood pressure ( blood pressure cuff)
Stertorous Breathing
Noisy Breathing ( Noisy Ventilation)
Stethoscope
Instrument that carries sound to the ears (instrument used to listen to the sounds of the heart, lungs, and other internal organs)
Stridor
Harsh, highly-pitched sound heard on inspiration when there is laryngeal obstruction (a high-pitched crowing sound that occurs with an obstruction in the upper airway (trachea or larynx)
Systolic Pressure
Pressure in the arterial system when heart contracts (first sound heard when taking blood pressure, measure of pressure caused when ventricles contract and blood is pushed out of heart)
Tachycardia
Heart rate between 100 and 150 beats per minutes (bpm) at rest (abnormally fast heart rate)
Tachypnea
Rapid respiratory rate (fast breathing greater < than 20 breathes per minute)
Temperature Translation
Conversion of tympanic temperature into an oral, rectal, or core temperature
Thermistor Catheter
Heat-sensing device at the tip of an internally placed tube
Thermogenesis
Heat production (The 3 main categories are : energy expended for basal metabolism, energy expended for physical activity, and energy expended for food consumption)
Training Effect
Heart rate and consequently pulse rate become consistently lower than average with regular exercise (improvement increased in exercise)
Ventilation
(1) movement of air in and out of the lungs; (2) movement of air in the environment (the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation)
Vital Signs
Body temperature, pulse rate, respiratory, and blood pressure (a set of measurements of a patients condition taken regularly to assess the state of bodily functions)
White-coat Hypertension
Condition in which the blood pressure is elevated when taken by a health care but is normal at other times
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