Normal Heart Rate / Stuff :-)

[Guest guest]

I wish I had kept the place I found this. It is a file I downloaded from a

medical site that I trusted. You can also search more online and confirm

this information...which should always be done BWT on any subject.

I am going to just copy this file here, as it is too good to keep to myself

for lack of proper thanks to the author.

-Pam L- Lets hope Yahoo does not mess up the formatting ~sigh~

***********

Vital Signs

The five measurements known as the vital signs together give a very helpful

picture of the person’s physical condition. We will do them on every patient

who comes into the clinic, each time they come in. They are also very

important if you are asked to see someone who is feeling sick has just been

in an accident, fainted, or had almost any sort of emergency. If these signs

are all normal, you can know that the person is for the moment at least,

doing well, and proceed to investigate further what the problem is.

The five signs are: the pulse, the blood pressure, the respiratory rate, the

temperature, and the weight.

The following pages discuss each of the signs, what they can tell us, how

they are taken, and how they are interpreted. The purpose of this document

is not to memorize, but to use it as a reference when you are seeing

patients and developing questions.

Pulse

-Usually taken at the wrist, called the radial pulse. If you can’t obtain it

there, it may be found in the neck (carotid) or groin (femoral).

Things to notice:

The rate- is it between 60 and 100? (this is normal range)

The rhythm- is it regular, or irregular. If irregular, how is it irregular?

The strength- is the pulse full and strong, or is it weak or " thready " .

Abnormalities:

Rate > 100: look for one of the following

- nervousness, anxiety, fever

- heart problems

- breathing problems- asthma, emphysema, pneumonia, hyperthyroidism,

dehydration

- certain drugs- amphetamines, alcohol, marijuana, LSD

- exercise

Rate < 60: Look for…

- heart disease

- hypothyroidism

- athlete in very good shape

Irregular rhythm- always means something is unusual about the heart, and

means an EKG is needed.

- basically regular with occasional missed beat

- frequent missed beats, but still a regular rhythm

- " Regularly irregular " - misses every third beat.

- " irregularly irregular " - no regular rhythm at all

Thready Pulse- If weak pulse, think of...

- heart failure

- loss of fluid in the blood vessels (dehydration or blood loss)

Respirations

- Taken by watching the patient’s shoulders move up and down or if the

patient is lying down by watching the chest or stomach move.

Things to Notice:

The rate- is it between 12 and 18? (the normal range)

The ease or difficulty of breathing- does the patient have to work hard just

to get the air in or out

The sound of the breathing- is there wheezing or a grunting sound?

Abnormalities:

Rapid rate:

- difficulty getting oxygen in because of emphysema, asthma, or pneumonia

- fluid in the lungs from heart failure

- Increased need for oxygen: after exercise, with a fever, after certain

drugs.

- Anxiety: so called hyperventilation syndrome

Temperature

- Taken in adults using an oral thermometer. In small children, a rectal

thermometer is used.

Things to Notice:

a. Is the oral temperature between 97.6 and 99.6?

Is the rectal temperature between 98.6 and 100?

Abnormalities:

Greater than normal- nearly always means infection, viral or bacterial,

kidney infection, or meningitis. Rarely caused by amphetamines, or by

certain types of cancer called lymphomas or Hodgkin’s disease.

Below normal

- a few people just naturally have a below normal temperature

- just had a cold drink before getting temperature taken

- very, very sick and temperature will not be what you are worried about

Blood Pressure

- Usually taken either sitting or lying. You should always make a note of

which arm you take it in, and whether the person was sitting or lying down.

Especially, if the person is known to have high blood pressure.

Abnormalities:

a. Too high: > 140/90 in adults, there are about 8-9 causes of hypertension,

which means a high blood pressure that stays high over a period of days.

- Essential hypertension, the most common

- Hypertension caused by tumors in adrenal gland, kidney disease, tumors

which make adrenaline, different types of heart disease, diseases involving

blood vessels, drugs or diet pills.

b. Too Low: only two abnormality conditions

- Fluid depletion such as bleeding or dehydration

- Addison’s Disease- not enough adrenal hormones (uncommon)

Weight

- Should be taken the same way each time. Remove excess weight, like coats.

Important to take weight each time a patient visits.

Things to Notice:

- Any change in weight over a period of time.

Abnormalities:

a. Increasing weight- most common adult medical problem.

- Often related to anxiety, stress, boredom, problem relationships.

- Other causes- heart failure, where fluid accumulates, over active adrenal

gland (too much cortisone).

b. Decreasing weight- important to see this in chart.

- May be tip off to organic disease when only other complaint is

" I don’t feel well " .

- Underlying disease cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, tuberculosis, or

depression.

- It is always important to look not only at the weight for today, but at the

pattern of weight over a period of months. A gradual loss of weight should make

you look further, especially in an older adult who is not feeling well.