VITAL SIGNS EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN BASIC 1 Vital

VITAL SIGNS EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN - BASIC 1

Vital Signs • Vital signs are an outward clue to what is going on in the patient’s body 2

Vital Signs • Baseline Vital Signs provide a basis for comparison of later sets of Vital. Signs 3

Vital Signs • It is important to monitor “trends” in Vital Signs rather than individual sets of Vital Signs 4

Pulse • Pulse Points Carotid Brachial Radial Femoral Popliteal 5

Pulse • Pulse Points Dorsal Pedal Posterior Tibial (Posterior and slightly inferior to medial Malleolus) 6

• Rate Pulse – Adult • 60 -80 Beats/minute – Child • 80 -110 Beats/minute – Infant • 120 -150 Beats/minute 7

Pulse – Rhythm • Regular • Irregular 8

Pulse – Quality • Full • Weak (Thready) • Bounding 9

Respirations • Rate – Adult • 12 -24 Resp/min – Child • 20 -28 Resp/min 10

Respirations • Rate – Infant • 30 -70 Resp/min @ birth • 30 Resp/min @ 6 months 11

Respirations – Rhythm • Regular • Irregular 12

Respiration – Quality • Full • Deep • Shallow • Labored • Noisy 13

Blood Pressure • Systolic - Pressure on the arterial wall when the heart contracts • Diastolic - Pressure on the arterial wall when the heart is at rest 14

Blood Pressure • Auscultated BP - Listening for both the systolic and diastolic values • Palpated BP - Feeling for the systolic pressure 15

Auscultated Blood Pressure • Adult – Male 100+ Age (up to 50) 80 – Female 90 + Age (up to 50 80 16

Auscultated Blood Pressure • Child 94 - 100 56 - 64 17

Auscultated Blood Pressure • Infant – At Birth 60 - 80 40 - 76 – At 6 Months 90 40 -76 18

Estimating Blood Pressure • Radial Pulse Present? – >80 Systolic 19

Estimating Blood Pressure • Femoral Pulse Present? – >70 Systolic – <80 Systolic 20

Estimating Blood Pressure • Carotid Pulse Present? – >60 Systolic – <70 Systolic 21

Vital Signs • DO NOT TREAT NUMBERS - - - TREAT PEOPLE!!!! 22