Exam 12: Vital Signs

The nurse is alarmed when a patient with a severe head injury of the occipital lobe has a respiratory rate of 10 breaths/min.Where might this finding indicate that there is an injury?

What site should be selected if a peripheral pulse needs to be assessed quickly?

What is the term for the exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen that takes place at the alveolar level?

How should the nurse position the earpieces on a stethoscope to ensure optimum reception?

What type of body temperature remains relatively constant?

A nurse assesses a neonate's temperature by using a temporal artery scanner.What intervention should the nurse implement if the neonate's temperature is 99.5°F (37.5°C)?

What part of the body maintains a balance between heat production and heat loss,regulating body temperature?

The nurse assesses respirations of a patient demonstrating pursed-lip breathing,flared nostrils,and retractions.How will the nurse describe these respirations?

When assessing vital signs on a 40-year-old male,the nurse identifies a pulse rate of 120 beats/min.What is this pulse interpreted as by the nurse?

A nurse assesses a patient's dorsalis pedis pulse.The pulse is easily felt but not palpable when moderate pressure is applied.How should the nurse document this finding?

What is the pulse-the expansion and contraction of an artery- produced by?

The nurse uses cooling techniques to keep the body temperature below 105°F (40.6°C).What can result from an elevated temperature?

If a patient has an axillary temperature of 96.2°F (35.6°C),the nurse understands that the true temperature is ______.

A patient is admitted to a medical surgical unit.What factors will determine how frequently vital signs will be assessed? (Select all that apply. )

The nurse assesses the blood pressure as 192/86,noting that the patient has a pulse pressure of ________.

What does the nurse use the diaphragm of the stethoscope to best assess?

When assessing factors that may influence the patient's pulse rate,what should the nurse take into consideration? (Select all that apply. )

The health care provider orders daily weights on a patient residing in a long-term care setting.What actions should the nurse implement to assess weight accurately? (Select all that apply. )

A nurse assesses a patient's dorsalis pedis pulse.The pulse is difficult to feel and not palpable when only slight pressure is applied.How should the nurse document this finding?

A nurse assesses a neonate's temperature by using a temporal artery scanner.What intervention should the nurse implement if the neonate's temperature is 96°F (35.5°C)?