What Are Baseline Vital Signs: Things You Must Know

Vital signs are indicators of the body’s most fundamental physiological processes. Temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate (breathing rate), and blood pressure are the four primary vital signs that are regularly checked by healthcare professionals and providers. Blood pressure is not a vital sign, but it is frequently measured in conjunction with vital signs.)

Vital signs can be used to detect or monitor medical problems. Vital signs can be measured in a medical setting, at home, at the scene of a medical emergency, or elsewhere. The precise standards for determining vital signs are described in this article.

Why Do We Need to Assess Vital Signs?

The body’s most fundamental processes are indicated by vital signs. The four main vital signs that health care providers routinely monitor include: body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate (rate of respiration), and blood pressure (blood pressure is not considered a vital sign, but is often measured along with vital signs).

The patient’s initial set of measurements is called the baseline. Cognitive processing of baseline values is important because the use of these data allows for the identification of trends in the patient’s condition, such as improvement, stabilization, or deterioration.

While some abnormal vital sign findings may be present and suggest significant patient pathology, other abnormal-looking findings may actually be normal responses. The discussion of some of these typical and abnormal findings that follows may assist you in properly interpreting the vital sign data gathered from your patients.

What Are Baseline Vital Signs?

Body Temperature

A person’s normal body temperature varies depending on factors like gender, recent activity, amount of food and liquids consumed, time of day, and, in women, the menstrual cycle stage. For a healthy adult, the normal body temperature can range from 97.8 degrees Fahrenheit to 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37.2 degrees Celsius). A person’s body temperature can be taken in any of the following ways:

• Orally. 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.
• Rectally. Temperatures taken rectally (with a glass or digital thermometer) are typically 0.5 to 0.7 degrees Fahrenheit higher than those taken orally.
• Axillary. Using a glass or digital thermometer, one can take the temperature beneath the arm. This route typically results in temperatures that are 0.3 to 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit lower than those obtained orally.
• By ear. The ear drum’s temperature, which reflects the body’s core temperature (the temperature of the internal organs), can be quickly measured using a specialized thermometer.
• By skin. The forehead skin’s temperature can be quickly assessed using a specialized thermometer.

Fever (high temperature) or hypothermia (low temperature) can both cause abnormal body temperatures. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, a fever is indicated when a person’s body temperature increases by one degree or more from the normal level of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Body temperatures that fall below 95 degrees Fahrenheit are referred to as hypothermia.

Pulse

Carotid (neck), Femoral (groin), Radial (wrist), Brachial (arm), Popliteal (behind knee), Posterior Tibial (ankle), and Dorsalis Pedis (foot) are some of the major arteries where pulses can be felt.

Blood Pressure

More information may be available from auscultation of blood pressure than from palpation. Both the systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings are provided by auscultation. Both are reported in even numbers in 2 mmHg increments. Systolic blood pressure should be between 100 and 140 mmHg, and diastolic blood pressure should be between 60 and 90 mmHg.

The function of the left ventricle is determined by systolic blood pressure. It’s crucial to understand that diastolic blood pressure gauges more than just the relaxed part of the heart’s cycle. Diastole is a specific indicator of the level of vascular resistance or vessel constriction. The patient may vasoconstrictor or vasodilate in response to either abnormally high or low blood pressure, and the diastolic blood pressure value will change accordingly. This might show how well a patient is adjusting to variations in cardiac output.

Blood pressure is categorized as normal, elevated, or stage 1 or stage 2 high blood pressure:

• Normal blood pressure is systolic of less than 120 and diastolic of less than 80 (120/80)
• Elevated blood pressure is systolic of 120 to 129 and diastolic less than 80
• Stage 1 high blood pressure is systolic is 130 to 139 or diastolic between 80 to 89
• Stage 2 high blood pressure is when the systolic is 140 or higher or the diastolic is 90 or higher

Respiration Rate

The number of breaths an individual takes each minute is known as their respiration rate. The rate is typically determined when a person is at rest and is as easy as counting how many times the chest rises throughout a minute. With a fever, an illness, or other medical conditions, respiration rates may rise. It’s important to take into account a person’s breathing difficulties when assessing respiration. Normal respiration rates for an adult person at rest range from 12 to 16 breaths per minute.

Summary

Vital sign abnormalities may give a definite indication of some conditions. Understanding what is actually normal and abnormal is crucial. It goes without saying that some abnormal patient findings may be normal in another age group. When an abnormal vital sign is discovered, address it cognitively and take it into account in light of the patient’s overall evaluation.