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Nursing Knowledge
Vital signs are measurements of the body’s basic functions. Usually, they include:
Monitoring clients’ vital signs is a fundamental part of continuously evaluating their physical health. Changes in vital signs can give information about and indicate various changes in a client’s condition and guide the decisions about nursing interventions.
Vital signs are taken frequently in clinical settings, for example:
The normal range for a resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute.
Common alterations include:
Ideal blood pressure values are less or equal to 120/80.
Hypotension is noted with findings < 90/< 60 . Blood pressure that is too high is classified b the AHA 2023 stages as follows:
A healthy adult with a normal respiratory rate will take between 12 and 20 breaths per minute.
Oxygen saturation should ideally be 95–100%. Oxygen saturation below 90% means the client is presenting with hypoxemia.
The ideal temperature for an adult depends on the mode of measuring:
The body becomes hypothermic when the temperature falls below 95°F (35°C).
Fever is defined as follows:
When checking vital signs and evaluating a patient, there are signs and symptoms of alert to keep in mind that require further attention and intervention:
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