Vital Signs (Body Temperature, Pulse Rate ... - URMC

What are vital signs? · Body temperature · Pulse rate · Breathing rate (respiration) · Blood pressure. Skiptomaincontent Coronavirus(COVID-19):LatestUpdates|VisitationPoliciesVisitationPoliciesVisitationPoliciesVisitationPoliciesVisitationPolicies|COVID-19Testing|VaccineInformationVaccineInformationVaccineInformation CLINICALSERVICES ServicesListing PatientCareLocations CostEstimator FindaDoctor InformationforReferringPhysicians MYCHARTLOGIN EDUCATION SchoolofMedicine&Dentistry SchoolofNursing GraduateEducation Residency&Fellowships DentalEducation FacultyByDepartment LibraryServices RESEARCH OurResearchers ClinicalandTranslationalSciencesInstitute URMCResearchNetwork LabsListing URVentures ClinicalTrials&Studies Research@URMCBlog ABOUTURMC Maps&Directions GivingtoURMC Departments&CentersList ContactInformation Newsroom EventCalendar URMCHome ExploreURMC Tests&Procedures InteractiveEncyclopediaTools HealthyLiving YourFamily DrugReference Herbs,Vitamins&Supplements PreventionPlanner URMC/Encyclopedia/Content SearchEncyclopedia VitalSigns(BodyTemperature,PulseRate,RespirationRate,BloodPressure) Whatarevitalsigns? Vitalsignsaremeasurementsofthebody'smostbasicfunctions.The4mainvital signsroutinelycheckedbyhealthcareprovidersinclude: Bodytemperature Pulserate Breathingrate(respiration) Bloodpressure Vitalsignshelpdetectormonitormedicalproblems.Theycanbemeasuredinamedical setting,athome,atthesiteofamedicalemergency,orelsewhere. Whatisbodytemperature? Thenormalbodytemperatureofapersonvariesdependingongender,recentactivity, foodandfluidconsumption,timeofday,and,inwomen,thestageofthemenstrual cycle.Normalbodytemperaturecanrangefrom97.8°F(36.5°C)to99°F(37.2°C)for ahealthyadult.Aperson'sbodytemperaturecanbetakeninanyofthefollowing ways: Orally.Temperaturecanbetakenbymouthusingadigitalthermometerthatusesanelectronic probetomeasurebodytemperature. Rectally.Temperaturestakenrectallytendtobe0.5°Fto0.7°Fhigherthanwhentakenbymouth. Thisismorecommoninbabiesbecausetheirbodydoesn'tregulatetemperaturethe wayanolderchildoradult'sbodydoes. Armpit(axillary).Temperaturescanbetakenunderthearmusinga digitalthermometer.Temperatures takenbythisroutetendtobe0.3°Fto0.4°Flowerthanthosetemperaturestaken bymouth. Byear.Aspecialthermometercanquicklymeasurethetemperatureoftheeardrum,whichreflects thebody'scoretemperature(thetemperatureoftheinternalorgans). Byskin.Aspecialthermometercanquicklymeasurethetemperatureoftheskinontheforehead. Somethermometersdon'trequirecontactwiththeskintogetatemperaturereading. Internally.Thismethodiscommoninpeoplewhoarecriticallyillinanintensivecareunit. Thetemperaturecanbemeasuredbyprobesthatareplacedintheesophagus,heart, orbladder. Bodytemperaturemaybeabnormalduetofever(hightemperature)orhypothermia(low temperature).Afeverisindicatedwhenbodytemperaturerisesabout1degreeormore overthenormaltemperatureof98.6°F,accordingtotheAmericanAcademyofFamily Physicians.Hypothermiaisdefinedasadropinbodytemperaturebelow95°F. Glassthermometerscontainingmercury Exposuretomercurycanbetoxicandposesathreattoaperson'shealth,aswell astotheenvironment.Don'tuseglassthermometerswithmercury,astheycanbreak. Ifyouhaveamercurythermometer,disposeofitcorrectlyinaccordancewithlocal, state,andfederallaws.Contactyourlocalhealthdepartment,wastedisposalauthority, orfiredepartmentforinformationonhowtocorrectlydisposeofmercurythermometers. Whatisthepulserate? Thepulserateisameasurementoftheheartrate.Thisisthenumberoftimesthe heartbeatsperminute.Astheheartpushesbloodthroughthearteries,thearteries expandandcontractwiththeflowoftheblood.Takingapulsenotonlymeasuresthe heartrate,butalsocanindicatethefollowing: Heartrhythm Strengthofthepulse Thenormalpulseforhealthyadultsrangesfrom60to100beatsperminute.Thepulse ratemayfluctuateandincreasewithexercise,illness,injury,andemotions.Females ages12andolder,ingeneral,tendtohavefasterheartratesthandomales.Athletes, suchasrunners,whodoalotofcardiovascularconditioning,mayhaveheartrates near40beatsperminutewithnoproblems. Howtocheckyourpulse Astheheartforcesbloodthroughthearteries,youfeelthebeatsbyfirmlypressing onthearteries,whicharelocatedclosetothesurfaceoftheskinatcertainpoints ofthebody.Thepulsecanbefoundonthesideoftheneck,ontheinsideofthe elbow,atthewrist,orinthegroin.Formostpeople,it'seasiesttotakethepulse atthewrist. Ifyouusethelowerneck,besurenottopresstoohard.Neverpress onthepulsesonbothsidesofthelowerneckatthesametime.Thiscanblockblood flowtothebrain. Whentakingyourpulse: Usingthefirstandsecondfingertips,pressfirmlybutgentlyonthearteriesuntil youfeelapulse. Startcountingthepulsewhentheclock'ssecondhandisonthe12. Countyourpulsefor60seconds(orfor30secondsandthenmultiplyby2tocalculate beatsperminute). Whencounting,don'twatchtheclockcontinuously,butconcentrateonthebeatsof thepulse. Ifunsureaboutyourresults,askanotherpersontocountforyou. Ifyour healthcareproviderhasaskedyoutocheckyourownpulseandyouarehaving troublefindingit,consultyour providerornurseforadditionalinstruction.Many typesofmonitoringdevicescanhelpcheckyourpulse.Theseincludefitnesstracker devicestohelptrackyourpulserate. Whatistherespirationrate? Therespirationrateisthenumberofbreathsyoutakeeachminute.Therateisusually measuredwhenyouareatrest.Itsimplyinvolvescountingthenumberofbreathsfor oneminutebycountinghowmanytimesyourchestrises.Respirationratesmayincrease withexercise,fever,illness,andwithothermedicalconditions.Whencheckingrespiration, it'simportanttoalsonotewhetheryouhaveanytroublebreathing. Normalrespirationratesforanadultpersonatrestrangefrom12to 20breathsper minute. Whatisbloodpressure? Bloodpressureistheforceofthebloodpushingagainstthearterywallsduringcontraction andrelaxationoftheheart.Eachtimetheheartbeats,itpumpsbloodintothearteries. Itresultsinthehighestbloodpressureastheheartcontracts.Whentheheartrelaxes, thebloodpressurefalls. Twonumbersarerecordedwhenmeasuringbloodpressure.Thehighernumberiscalled systolicpressure.Itreferstothepressureinsidethearterywhentheheartcontracts andpumpsbloodthroughthebody.Thelowernumberiscalleddiastolicpressure.It referstothepressureinsidethearterywhentheheartisatrestandisfilling withblood.Bothpressuresarerecordedas"mmHg"(millimetersofmercury).  Highbloodpressuredirectlyincreasestheriskofheartattack,heartfailure,and stroke.Withhighbloodpressure,thearteriesmayhaveanincreasedresistanceagainst theflowofblood.Thiscausesthehearttoworkhardertocirculatetheblood. Bloodpressureiscategorizedasnormal,elevated,orstage1orstage2highblood pressure: Normalbloodpressureissystolicoflessthan120anddiastolicoflessthan80(120/80) Elevatedbloodpressureissystolicof120to129anddiastoliclessthan80 Stage1highbloodpressureissystolicis130to139ordiastolicbetween80to89 Stage2highbloodpressureiswhensystolicis140orhigherorthediastolicis90orhigher Thesenumbersshouldbeusedasaguideonly.Asinglebloodpressuremeasurement thatishigherthannormaldoesnotnecessarilymeanthereisaproblem.Your healthcare providerwillwanttoseemultiplebloodpressuremeasurementsoverseveraldaysor weeksbeforemakingadiagnosisofhighbloodpressureandstartingtreatment.Ask yourproviderwhentocontacthimorherifyourbloodpressurereadingsarenotwithin normalrange. WhyshouldImonitormybloodpressureathome? Forpeoplewithhighbloodpressure,homemonitoringallowsyour healthcareprovider tomonitorhowmuchyourbloodpressurechangesduringtheday,andfromdaytoday. Thismayalsohelpyourproviderdeterminehoweffectivelyyourbloodpressuremedicine isworking. WhatspecialequipmentdoIneedtomeasurebloodpressure? Youcanuseeitherananeroidmonitor,whichhasadialgaugeandisreadbylooking atapointer.Oryoucanuseadigitalmonitor,inwhichthebloodpressurereading flashesonasmallscreen.Whicheverdeviceyouuse,makesurethecufffitsyour arm.Havingacuffthatistoolargeortoosmallcanleadtoinaccuratereadings. Don'ttakeyourbloodpressureonanarmorlegthathasbeenseverelyinjured,has hadsurgeryonthebloodvessels,orhasinjurytothetissue. Beforeyoumeasureyourbloodpressure TheAmericanHeartAssociationrecommendsthefollowingguidelinesforhomeblood pressuremonitoring: Don'tsmoke,havecaffeinateddrinks,orexercisefor30minutesbeforetakingyour bloodpressure. Gotothebathroombeforethetest. Relaxfor5minutesbeforetakingthemeasurement. Sitwithyourbacksupported(don'tsitonacouchorsoftchair).Keepyourfeet ontheflooruncrossed.Placeyourarmonasolidflatsurface(likeatable)with theupperpartofthearmatheartlevel.Placethemiddleofthecuffdirectlyabove thebendoftheelbow.Checkthemonitor'sinstructionmanualforanillustration. Takemultiplereadings.Whenyoumeasure,take2to3readingsoneminuteapartand recordalltheresults. Takeyourbloodpressureatthesametimeeveryday,orasyourhealthcareprovider recommends. Recordthedate,time,andbloodpressurereading. Taketherecordwithyoutoyournextmedicalappointment.Ifyourbloodpressure monitorhasabuilt-inmemory,simplytakethemonitorwithyoutoyournextappointment. Callyourproviderifyouhaveseveralhighreadings.Don'tbefrightenedbyasingle highbloodpressurereading,butifyougetseveralhighreadings,checkinwithyour healthcareprovider. Ifyourbloodpressurereachesasystolic(topnumber)of180orhigherORdiastolic  (bottomnumber)of110orhigher,seekemergencymedicaltreatment. Askyour healthcareprovidertoteachyouhowtouseyourbloodpressuremonitor correctly.Havethemonitorroutinelycheckedforaccuracybytakingitwithyouto yourhealthcareprovider'soffice.It'salsoimportanttomakesurethetubingis nottwistedwhenyoustoreitandkeepitawayfromheattopreventcracksandleaks. Monitorswillhavetobereplacednowandthen.Checkthatyourdeviceisworking correctly. Properuseofyourbloodpressuremonitorwillhelpyouandyourhealthcareprovider inmonitoringyourbloodpressure. MedicalReviewers: StaceyWojcikMBABSNRN StevenKangMD AskaMedicalLibrarianMakeanAppointment Physicians&Services OurEmergencyCarePhysicians OurEmergencyCarePediatricians Children'sEmergencyDepartmentatGolisanoChildren'sHospital URMCEmergencyMedicine EmergencyDepartmentatHighlandHospital InteractiveTools BloodPressureQuiz SupportGroups BloodPressureManagement BloodPressureAdvocateProgram RelatedNews BeyondPills:CardiologistsExamineAlternativesToHaltHighBloodPressure VitaminDMayHelpExplainRacialDifferencesinBloodPressure DeviceDropsBloodPressureinPatientsWithDifficult-to-TreatHypertension HighlandOffersFreeBloodPressureScreeningsValentine'sDay ChildrenwithHighBloodPressureMoreLikelytoHaveLearningDisabilities