Chapter 37: Vital Signs and Measurements

When measuring a patient weight in pounds, it is important to round to the nearest

1/4 pound

Which of the following would be identified as normal blood pressure for a 10 year old child?

100/65

Which of the following blood pressure is outside the normal range for the adult patient?

130/82 mm Hg

Calculation of medication dosage may require the weight of a child to be converted from pounds to kilograms. Which of the following conversion would be correctly reported for a patients who weighs 40 pounds?

18.2 kg

Which of the following respiratory rates would be identified as normal for a child 1-3 years of age?

22-30 respiration per minute

Tachypnea would be characterized by which of the following respiratory rates in the adult patient?

30 respiration per minute

Using the formula to convert degrees Fahrenheit to degrees Celsius, determine which of the following is equal to 99.8°F (round to the nearest tenth).

37.7 °C

Which of the following oral temperatures would represent abnormal findings or fever in a 6 year old child?

38.6°C

The average ratio of the pulse rate to the respiration rate is

4:1

When taking a pulse for an adult, the medical assistant noted the rate was within normal range. Which of the following would represents the rate she documented in the patient's record?

60-100bpm

If a patients weighs 134 pound, what would he weigh in kilograms?

60.8

Pediatrics may require height to be converted from feet and inches to centimeters before plotting on a growth chart. The correct conversion for a child who measured 30 inches would be reported as

76cm

What percentage of the arm or leg should a blood pressure cuff encircle to obtain an accurate reading?

80-100%

characterized by periods of increasing and decreasing depth of respiration between periods of apnea

Cheyne-Stokes respiration

the heart sound that change as the pressure in the blood pressure cuff decreases

Korotkoff

How would you abbreviate a rectal temperature of 99.7 degrees to Fahrenheit?

T99.7R

Which of the following is the best description of pulse oximetry?

a noninvasive test that measure the saturations of oxygen in a patient's arterial blood

An adult patient had his temperature take rectally and the results was 100.1°F. This would be considered

afebrile

heaving a body temperature within one's normal range

afebrile

Which of the following manometers consists of a cuff containing a bladder with an attached dial for reading blood pressure?

aneroid manometer

the absence of respiration

apnea

Which of the following methods is NOT appropriate for obtaining respiration rates on patients?

asking the patient to sit up straight so you can observed the breathing pattern

blood pressure as measured by listening with a stethoscope

auscultated blood pressure

the period during which the sound either changes or vanishes

auscultatory gap

Which of the following terms would be used to report a temperature when performing the procedure under the patient's arm?

axillary

The medical assistant should balance the patient scale prior to weighing the scale.

because proper-functioning scales ensure accurate results

cone-shaped size of the stethoscope chest piece

bell

a reliable indicator of healthy weights that is calculated based on height and weight

body mass index

slow heart rate, usually less that 60 beats per minute

bradycardia

to determine the caliber of: to standardize a measuring instrument

calibrate

the larger, flat side of the chest piece, which is covered by a thin, plastic disk

diaphragm

When obtaining respirations on a patient, the medical assistant observes difficult and painful breathing. Which of the following terms should be used to document the observation?

dyspnea

difficult or painful breathing (dys = difficult, painful, bad, abnormal) (pnea = breathing)`

dyspnea

having a body temperature above the normal range

febrile

MEMO: 1. Having a temperature above normal range 2. Having a body temperature in normal range 3. An excessively high fever 4. Rapid heart rate, generally more than 100 beats per minute 5. Slow heart rate, usually less than 60 beats per minute 6. An artery located in the groove on the thumb side of the inner wrist, where the pulse is taken on adults 7. An instrument to listen to body sounds 8. High blood pressure 9. Low blood pressure 10. Are usually measured each visit with the vital signs 11. A reliable indicator of healthy weight

febrile afebrile hyperpyrexia tachycardia bradycardia radial artery stethoscope hypertension hypotension height and weight BMI

Abnormally rapid deep, or labored breathing is known as

hyperpnea

abnormally deep, rapid breathing

hyperpnea

an exceptionally high fever

hyperpyrexia

high blood pressure

hypertension

The condition of breathing rapidly and deeply. Hyperventilating decreases the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood

hyperventilation

Low blood pressure is known as

hypotension

low blood pressure

hypotension

Subnormal oxygenation of arterial blood, short of anoxia

hypoxemia

Which of the following abbreviation represents the proper of documentation for the standard unit used to measure blood pressure?

mmHg

a situation in which blood pressure becomes low and the pulse increases when a patients is moved from a lying to standing position; also known as "postural hypotension"

orthostatic hypotension

Systolic blood pressure measured by using the sense of touch. This measurements provides a necessary preliminary approximation of the systolic blood pressure to ensure an adequate level of inflation when the actual auscultatory measurement is made

palpatory method

A patient blood pressure drops from 144/90 to 100/60 when orthostatic vital signs are taken. This indicate

positive tilt test

When the pulse rate increases more than 10 beats per minute(bpm) and the blood pressure drops more that 20 points while taking vital sign in the lying, sitting and standing position?

positive tilt test

A situation in which blood pressure becomes low and the pulse increases when a patient is moved from a lying to standing position; also known as "orthostatic hypotension"

postural hypotension

Taking a patient's blood pressure in different position is used to assess for

postural hypotension

The pulse rate should be measured for 1 full minute if any irregularities are noted. Which of the following sites is most commonly used to measure pulse in the adult patient?

radial artery

Noisy respiration usually due to blockage of the bronchial tubes

rales

Which of the following are crackling noises heard when patient breathes?

rales

Deep snoring or rattling sounds that may indicate partial obstruction of the airway

rhonchi

can be regular or irregular pulse

rhythm

Which of the following instrument would NOT be necessary to obtain patient vital signs?

scale with height bar

A condition characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep

sleep apnea

An instrument for measuring blood pressure; consist of an inflatable cuff, a pressure bulb to inflate the cuff and a device to read the pressure

sphygmomanometer

If a patient's blood pressure is 138/82, it is considered?

stage1 hypertension

In which of the following positions are the vital signs taken last during orthostatic vital signs?

standing

an instrument that amplifies body sounds

stethoscope

rapid heart rate, generally in excess of 100 beats per minute

tachycardia

abnormally rapid breathing

tachypnea

When obtaining a blood pressure, the medical assistant must be aware of factors that would affect the reading. Which of the following would NOT requires awaiting period of relaxation for the patient before measuring blood pressure?

the patient has been chatting with the staff since arriving

An instrument, either electronic or disposable that is used to measure body temperature

thermometer

When taking a patient's blood pressure, you should wear gloves if

they are contact precaution for the patient

can be weak, strong or bounding

volume

Which of the following is NOT a good location for a sensor for pulse oximetry?

wrist