VITAL SIGN

1. CAREGIVING
PM
7-DAYS MODULE

2. Vital signs are useful in detecting or monitoring medical problems. Vital signs can be
measured in a medical setting, at home, at the site of a medical emergency, or
elsewhere.
 Body temperature
 Pulse rate
 Respiration rate (rate of breathing)
 Blood pressure

3. WHAT IS BODY TEMPERATURE?
The normal body temperature of a
person varies depending on
1. sex/gender
2. recent activity
3. food and fluid consumption
4. time of day
5. Overall health
6. In women, the stage of the
menstrual cycle.
 Temperature
Measurement of the amount of
heat in the body at given time.

4. BODY TEMPERATURE
Normal body temperature can range from 97.8
degrees F (or Fahrenheit, equivalent to 36.5 degrees
C, or Celsius) to 99 degrees F (37.2 degrees C) for a
healthy adult.

5. A PERSON'S BODY TEMPERATURE CAN BE TAKEN IN
ANY OF THE FOLLOWING WAYS:
1.Orally- By mouth
2.Rectally
3.Axillary
4.Tympanic- By ear
5.By skin- Forehead

6. ORAL TEMPERATURE
 Temperature can be taken by
mouth using either the classic
glass thermometer, or the
more modern digital
thermometers that use an
electronic probe to measure
body temperature.
 The average normal oral
temperature is 37°C

7. RECTAL TEMPERATURE
 Temperatures taken
rectally (using a glass
or digital
thermometer) tend to
be 0.5 to 0.6 degrees
F higher than when
taken by mouth.
 The average normal
rectal temperature is
37.05 degrees Celsius.

8. AXILLARY TEMPERATURE
 Temperatures can be taken
under the armpit using a
glass or digital thermometer.
 The normal axillary
temperature is usually a
degree lower than the oral
(by mouth) temperature and
rectal temperature.
 Ranges: 36-36.7 degrees
Celsius

9. TYMPANIC TEMPERATURE
 By ear. A special thermometer can
quickly measure the temperature
of the ear drum, which reflects the
body's core temperature (the
temperature of the internal
organs).
 Normal ranges: 36.8-37.3 degrees
Celsius
 Tympanic membrane, also called
eardrum, thin layer of tissue in the
human ear that receives sound
vibrations from the outer air and
transmits them to the auditory
ossicles, which are tiny bones in
the tympanic (middle-ear) cavity.

10. FOREHEAD TEMPERATURE
 By skin. A special
thermometer can quickly
measure the temperature
of the skin on the
forehead.
 Ranges: 36.4-36.7 degrees
Celsius

11. VARIATIONS IN BODY TEMPERATURE
HYPOTHERMIA
 Hypothermia is a medical
emergency that occurs when your
body loses heat faster than it can
produce heat, causing a
dangerously low body
temperature.
 Normal body temperature is
around 98.6 F (37 C). occurs as your
body temperature falls 35 and
below degrees Celsius.
HYPERTHERMIA
 Hyperthermia refers to a group of heat-
related conditions characterized by an
abnormally high body temperature —
in other words, the opposite of
hypothermia. due to a failure of the
body's thermoregulatory mechanism.
 hyperthermia is defined as a
temperature greater than 37.5–38.3 °C
depending on the reference used, that
occurs without a change in the body's
temperature set point. Such elevations
range from mild to extreme; body
temperatures above 40 °C can be life-
threatening.

12. PYREXIA
 Fever, also known as pyrexia and
febrile response, is defined as
having a temperature above the
normal range due to an increase in
the body's temperature set point.
There is not a single agreed-upon
upper limit for normal temperature
with sources using values between
37.5 and 38.3 °C (99.5 and 100.9
°F).
 The increase in set point triggers
increased muscle contractions and
causes a feeling of cold

13. PYREXIA VS HYPERTHERMIA
 Typically an elevated body temperature is caused by fever,
but hyperthermia can also be the cause. ... In contrast,
hyperthermia results when hypothalamic regulation of
body temperature is overwhelmed and an uncontrolled
increase in body temperature exceeds the body's ability to
lose heat.
 The most severe form of hyperthermia is heat stroke.

14. THERMOREGULATORY SYSTEM
 A system responsible in maintaining normal body temperature.
 Thermoregulation is a process that allows your body to maintain its
core internal temperature. All thermoregulation mechanisms are
designed to return your body to homeostasis. This is a state of
equilibrium

15. (3) THREE PRIMARY COMPONENTS OF THERMOREGULATORY
SYSTEM
1. THERMORECEPTORS-PERIPHERY(NERVE ENDINGS)
2. THERMOREGULATING CENTER-HYPOTHALAMUS
3. EFFECTOR ORGAN

16. 1. PERIPHERAL THERMORECEPTORS–FREE NERVE ENDINGS THAT RESIDE IN THE
SKIN
 KRAUS CORPUSCLES
-functioning as sensory cold
receptors.
 RUFFINI CORPUSLES
-functioning as sensory heat
receptors.

17. 2. THEMOREGULATING CENTER- LOCATED IN THE HYPOTHALAMUS
 Muscles can also receive messages from the
thermoregulatory center of the brain (the
hypothalamus) to cause shivering. This
increases heat production as respiration is an
exothermic reaction in muscle cells. ... In this
process, triglycerides are burned into heat,
thereby increasing body temperature.

18. EFFECTOR ORGAN A MUSCLE OR GLAND THAT CONTRACTS OR SECRETES,
RESPECTIVELY, IN DIRECT RESPONSE TO NERVE IMPULSES AND REPRODUCTIVE
ORGANS, EX. FEMALE AND REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS OF MALE.
effector
 Any muscle, organ etc. that can respond to a stimulus from
a nerve.
 Stimuli- a thing or event that evokes a specific functional
reaction in an organ or tissue.
 Stimulus is something that causes a reaction, especially
interest, excitement or energy

21. THERMOMETER -INSTRUMENT USED FOR MEASURING TEMPERATURE
Types
1. Digital thermometers
2. Electronic ear thermometers
3. Forehead thermometers
4. Plastic strip thermometers
5. Pacifier thermometer
6. Glass and mercury thermometers

22. DIGITAL THERMOMETERS
 Digital thermometers are regarded
as the fastest and most accurate
type of thermometer. Readings are
taken from under the tongue,
from the rectum or under the
armpit. They are easily found in
local pharmacies and can be used
at home or in the hospital.

23. ELECTRONIC EAR THERMOMETERS
 These use infrared technology to
get their temperature reading.
Electronic ear thermometers are
less accurate as if there is too
much wax in the ear it can give an
incorrect reading. Despite being
expensive, they are a lot easier to
use on babies and young children,
as it can be hard to get children to
sit still for long enough while
using digital thermometers.

24. FOREHEAD THERMOMETERS
 These thermometers also read
heat using infrared, and are placed
on the temporal artery. Forehead
thermometers are also not as
reliable as digital thermometers

25. PLASTIC STRIP THERMOMETERS
 These thermometers can detect the presence
of a fever in a patient, however, they do not
give an exact temperature reading. They
simply act as an indication that something
might be wrong. To use them, you just place
the strip on the forehead.

26. PACIFIER THERMOMETER
 These thermometers are used
predominantly in babies older
than three months. They require
the baby to be still for a couple of
minutes and this can be a struggle.
This means that sometimes the
temperature can be inaccurate.

27. GLASS AND MERCURY THERMOMETERS
 These thermometers are the old school way to take a
temperature. You normally would place it under your
tongue and watch the mercury rise. Once it stops, that
would be your temperature. Unfortunately, due to the
risk of mercury poisoning, this means of taking a
temperature is not a good idea and you are highly
recommended to consult with a healthcare body to
discard any you might have.
 A delicate hollow glass tube with a liquid material
(Mercury) that is very sensitive to temperature change,
expands when the temperature rises and contracts when
goes down.

28. TEMPERATURE CONVERSION
Example
2 degrees C to __________degrees F
2(9)/5+32= 35.6
35.6degrees F=2 degrees F