CSN Nursing 101 Exam 2--Vital Signs UPDATED ACTUAL
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Name the 6 vital signs 1. Temperature (T)
2. Pulse (P)
3. Respirations (R)
4. Blood Pressure (BP)
5. Pain
6. Oxygen Saturation (O2 Sat)
Acceptable temperature range for adults 96.7 - 100.5° F (98.6° average)
35.9 - 38° C (37° average)
Acceptable range for pulse in adults 60 - 100 beats per minute
Acceptable range for respirations for adults 12 - 20 breaths per minute
Acceptable range of blood pressure in adults less than 120/80 with pulse pressure (the distance between those two numbers)
between 30 - 50 mmHg
What is the "thermostat of the brain?" hypothalamus
What is the body's set point? Temperature that the body uses to maintain homeostasis. Commonly 98.6° F but
could vary.
What is the body's primary source of heat? metabolism
What is the basal metabolic rate (BMR)? the amount of energy expended while at rest
What are the four ways the body loses heat? radiation, conduction, convection, evaporation
, Matching 1. B
2. D
1. Radiation 3. A
2. Conduction 4. C
3. Convection
4. Evaporation
A. heat loss through air circulation
B. heat loss through exposure
C. heat loss through sweat
D. heat loss through touch
Why are the elderly more prone to feeling cold? C
A. They have less muscle mass, and so less strength to
shiver
B. Their hypothalamus adjusts the set point lower as they
age
C. They have less subcutaneous fat, and so less insulation
D. Their circadian rhythm adjusts so that they get up
earlier and earlier, when it's not as warm
A man and woman usually fight about the temperature of During ovulation a woman's BMR increases, and so she naturally produces more
their home; he likes it at 65, she likes it at 78. Sometimes heat; for a short time each month she has an elevated internal temperature
they find that they get along perfectly at 66. But that
doesn't last very long, and soon she is cranking the
temperature back up. Why is that?
When is body temperature the lowest? early morning, about 4 am, because metabolism is lowest during sleep
A body is found alive, unconscious, lying in the snow. hypothermia
What temperature condition would you expect to find?
Which is cause for concern, a patient with pyrexia or a pyrexia, because that means fever (afebrile means without fever)
patient who is afebrile?
Why does temperature increase when the body has a The body fights the foreign invader, and so metabolism increases, which produces
virus? heat
When an immune response is triggered, what part of the hypothalamus; it raises the set point
brain reacts?
Fevers are usually not harmful if below what 104° F
temperature?
If a doctor wants a core body temp, at what site would rectal
you take the temperature?
A nurse takes a sick and hot-to-the-touch patient's oral A febrile patient should leave an oral glass thermometer in for up to 8 minutes to
temperature for 4 minutes with a glass thermometer and be sure that the mercury has enough time to rise to highest, accurate temperature
writes down a temperature of 101°F. A fellow nurse
questions the reading. Why is that?
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Name the 6 vital signs 1. Temperature (T)
2. Pulse (P)
3. Respirations (R)
4. Blood Pressure (BP)
5. Pain
6. Oxygen Saturation (O2 Sat)
Acceptable temperature range for adults 96.7 - 100.5° F (98.6° average)
35.9 - 38° C (37° average)
Acceptable range for pulse in adults 60 - 100 beats per minute
Acceptable range for respirations for adults 12 - 20 breaths per minute
Acceptable range of blood pressure in adults less than 120/80 with pulse pressure (the distance between those two numbers)
between 30 - 50 mmHg
What is the "thermostat of the brain?" hypothalamus
What is the body's set point? Temperature that the body uses to maintain homeostasis. Commonly 98.6° F but
could vary.
What is the body's primary source of heat? metabolism
What is the basal metabolic rate (BMR)? the amount of energy expended while at rest
What are the four ways the body loses heat? radiation, conduction, convection, evaporation
, Matching 1. B
2. D
1. Radiation 3. A
2. Conduction 4. C
3. Convection
4. Evaporation
A. heat loss through air circulation
B. heat loss through exposure
C. heat loss through sweat
D. heat loss through touch
Why are the elderly more prone to feeling cold? C
A. They have less muscle mass, and so less strength to
shiver
B. Their hypothalamus adjusts the set point lower as they
age
C. They have less subcutaneous fat, and so less insulation
D. Their circadian rhythm adjusts so that they get up
earlier and earlier, when it's not as warm
A man and woman usually fight about the temperature of During ovulation a woman's BMR increases, and so she naturally produces more
their home; he likes it at 65, she likes it at 78. Sometimes heat; for a short time each month she has an elevated internal temperature
they find that they get along perfectly at 66. But that
doesn't last very long, and soon she is cranking the
temperature back up. Why is that?
When is body temperature the lowest? early morning, about 4 am, because metabolism is lowest during sleep
A body is found alive, unconscious, lying in the snow. hypothermia
What temperature condition would you expect to find?
Which is cause for concern, a patient with pyrexia or a pyrexia, because that means fever (afebrile means without fever)
patient who is afebrile?
Why does temperature increase when the body has a The body fights the foreign invader, and so metabolism increases, which produces
virus? heat
When an immune response is triggered, what part of the hypothalamus; it raises the set point
brain reacts?
Fevers are usually not harmful if below what 104° F
temperature?
If a doctor wants a core body temp, at what site would rectal
you take the temperature?
A nurse takes a sick and hot-to-the-touch patient's oral A febrile patient should leave an oral glass thermometer in for up to 8 minutes to
temperature for 4 minutes with a glass thermometer and be sure that the mercury has enough time to rise to highest, accurate temperature
writes down a temperature of 101°F. A fellow nurse
questions the reading. Why is that?
