- Afebrile
- absence of a fever
- Apical pulse
- a central pulse located at the apex of the heart
- Apical-radial pulse
- measurement of the apical beat and the radial pulse at the same time
- Apnea
- a complete absence of respirations
- Arrhythmia
- a pulse with an abnormal rhythm
- Arterial blood pressure
- the measure of the pressure exerted by the blood as it pulsates through the arteries
- Arteriosclerosis
- a condition in which the elastic and muscular tissues of the arteries are replaced with fibrous tissue
- Auscultatory gap
- the temporary disappearance of sounds normally heard over the brachial artery when the sphygmomanometer cuff pressure is high and the sounds reappear at a lower level
- Basal metabolic rate
- (BMR) the rate of energy utilization in the body required to maintain essential activities such as breathing
- Body temperature
- the balance between the heat produced by the body and the heat lost from the body
- Bradycardia
- abnormally slow pulse rate, less than 60 per minute
- Bradypnea
- abnormally slow respiratory rate, usually less than 10 respirations per minute
- Cardiac output
- the amount of blood ejected by the heart with each ventricular contraction
- Cardinal signs
- see Vital signs
- Chemical thermogenesis
- the stimulation of heat production in the body through increased cellular metabolism caused by increases in thyroxine output
- Compliance
- the extent to which an individual's behavior coincides with medical or health advice
- Conduction
- the transfer of heat from one molecule to another in direct contact
- Constant fever
- a state in which the body temperature fluctuates minimally but always remains above normal
- Convection
- the dispersion of heat by air currents
- Core temperature
- the temperature of the deep tissues of the body (e.g., thorax, abdominal cavity); relatively constant at 37° C (98.6° F)
- Costal (thoracic) breathing
- use of the external intercostal muscles and other accessory muscles, such as the sternocleidomastoid muscles
- Diaphragmatic (abdominal) breathing
- contraction and relaxation of the diaphragm, observed by the movement of the abdomen, which occurs as a result of the diaphragm’s contraction and downward movement
- Diastolic pressure
- the pressure of the blood against the arterial walls when the ventricles of the heart are at rest
- Dysrhythmia
- a pulse with an irregular rhythm
- Elasticity of the arterial wall
- pliability or expansibility of the vessels
- Eupnea
- normal, quiet breathing
- Exhalation
- the movement of gases from the lungs to the atmosphere
- Expiration
- See Exhalation
- External respiration
- the interchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the alveoli of the lungs and the pulmonary blood
- Febrile
- pertaining to a fever; feverish
- Fever
- elevated body temperature
- Fever spike
- a temperature that rises to fever level rapidly following a normal temperature and then returns to normal within a few hours
- Heat balance
- the state a person is in when the amount of heat produced by the body exactly equals the amount of heat lost
- Hematocrit
- the proportion of red blood cells (erythrocytes) to the total blood volume
- Hyperpyrexia
- see Hyperthermia
- Hypertension
- an abnormally high blood pressure; over 140 mm Hg systolic and/or 90 mm Hg diastolic
- Hyperthermia
- an extremely high body temperature (eg, 41 C [105.8 F])
- Hyperventilation
- very deep, rapid respirations
- Hypotension
- an abnormally low blood pressure; less than 100 mm Hg systolic in an adult
- Hypothalamic integrator
- the center in the brain that controls the core temperature; located in the preoptic area of the hypothalamus
- Hypothermia
- a core body temperature below the lower limit of normal
- Hypoventilation
- very shallow respirations
- Inhalation
- the act of breathing in; the intake of air or other substances into the lungs
- Insensible water loss
- continuous and unnoticed water loss
- Inspiration
- See Inhalation
- Intermittent fever
- a body temperature that alternates at regular intervals between periods of fever and periods of normal or subnormal temperatures
- Internal respiration
- the interchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the circulating blood and the cells of the body tissues
- Korotkoff's sounds
- a series of five sounds produced by blood within the artery with each ventricular contraction
- Meniscus
- the crescent-shaped upper surface of a column of fluid
- Orthostatic hypotension
- decrease in blood pressure related to positional or postural changes from lying to sitting or standing positions
- Peripheral pulse
- a pulse located in the periphery of the body (eg, foot, wrist)
- Point of maximal impulse
- (PMI) the point where the apex of the heart touches the anterior chest wall
- Polypnea
- abnormally fast respirations
- Pulse
- the wave of blood within an artery that is created by contraction of the left ventricle of the heart
- Pulse deficit
- the difference between the apical pulse and the radial pulse
- Pulse oximeter
- a noninvasive device that measures the arterial blood oxygen saturation by means of a sensor attached to the finger
- Pulse pressure
- the difference between the systolic and the diastolic blood pressure
- Pulse rhythm
- the pattern of the beats and intervals between the beats
- Pulse volume
- the strength or amplitude of the pulse, the force of blood exerted with each heart beat
- Pyrexia
- a body temperature above the normal range, fever
- Radiation
- the transfer of heat from the surface of one object to the surface of another without contact between the two objects
- Relapsing fever
- the occurrence short febrile periods of a few days interspersed with periods of 1 or 2 days of normal temperature
- Remittent fever
- the occurrence of a wide range of temperature fluctuations (more than 2C (3.6F) over the 24-hour period, all of which are above normal
- Respiration
- the act of breathing; transport of oxygen from the atmosphere to the body cells and transport of carbon dioxide from the cells to the atmosphere
- Respiratory character
- see Respiratory quality
- Respiratory quality
- refers to those aspects of breathing that are different from normal, effortless breathing, includes the amount of effort exerted to breathe and the sounds produced by breathing
- Respiratory rhythm
- refers to the regularity of the expirations and the inspirations
- Surface temperature
- the temperature of the skin, the subcutaneous
- Systolic pressure
- the pressure of the blood against the arterial walls when the ventricles of the heart contract
- Tachycardia
- an abnormally rapid pulse rate, greater than 100 beats per minute
- Tachypnea
- abnormally fast respirations, usually more than 24 respirations per minute
- Tidal volume
- the volume of air that is normally inhaled and exhaled
- Vaporization
- continuous evaporation of moisture from the respiratory tract and from the mucosa of the mouth and from the skin
- Ventilation
- the movement of air in and out of the lungs; the process of inhalation and exhalation
- Viscous
- thick, sticky
- Vital signs
- measurements of physiological functioning, specifically body temperature, pulse, respirations, and blood pressure; may include pain and pulse oximetry
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