Fundamentals of Nursing, Vital Signs
with well illustrated questions and
answers 2025
Afebrile - Answer - Without fever
Febrile - Answer - With fever
Apical pulse (also known as "point of maximal impulse" or PMI) - Answer - Central pulse; located at the
apex of the heart (also known as "point of maximal impulse" or PMI). Routinely used on infants - 3yrs.
Helps determine discrepancies with radial pulse.
Peripheral pulse - Answer - Pulse located away from the heart; wrist or foot.
Apical-radial pulse - Answer - Normally apical & radial pulses are identical but an apical rate greater than
the radial rate can indicate that the thrust of blood from the heart is too weak to be felt peripherally.
Possible indication of vascular disease.
Apnea - Answer - Absence of breathing
Arrhythmia (aka dysrhythmia) - Answer - A pulse with an irregular rhythm (aka dysrhythmia).
Arterial blood pressure - Answer - Measure of the pressure exerted by the blood as it flows through the
arteries.
Arteriosclerosis - Answer - Elastic & muscular tissues of the arteries are replaced with fibrous tissue, the
arteries lose much of their ability to constrict & dilate. Common in middle aged & older adults.
, Auscultatory gap - Answer - Occurs particularly in hypertensive people; is the temporary disappearance
of sounds normally heard over the brachial artery when the cuff pressure is high followed by the
reappearance of the sounds at a lower level.
Basal metabolic rate (BMR) - Answer - Rate of energy utilization in the body required to maintain
essential activities such as breathing. Rates decrease with age. Generally younger people have higher
BMR.
Body temperature - Answer - Reflects the balance between the heat produced & lost from the body.
Measured in degrees.
Bradycardia - Answer - Heart rate in an adult of less than 60 bpm.
Bradypnea - Answer - Abnormally slow respirations.
Cardiac output - Answer - Volume of blood pumped into the arteries by the heart and equals the result
of the stroke volume (SV) times the heart rate (HR) per min.
Compliance - Answer - Arteries ability to contract & expand.
Conduction - Answer - The transfer of heat from one molecule to a molecule of lower temperature.
Cannot take place without contact between the molecules & normally accounts for minimal heat loss.
Constant fever - Answer - Body temperature fluctuates minimally but always remains above normal.
Convection - Answer - Dispersion of heat by air currents.
Core temperature - Answer - Temperature of the deep tissues of the body such as the abdominal cavity
& pelvic cavity. Remains relatively constant.
with well illustrated questions and
answers 2025
Afebrile - Answer - Without fever
Febrile - Answer - With fever
Apical pulse (also known as "point of maximal impulse" or PMI) - Answer - Central pulse; located at the
apex of the heart (also known as "point of maximal impulse" or PMI). Routinely used on infants - 3yrs.
Helps determine discrepancies with radial pulse.
Peripheral pulse - Answer - Pulse located away from the heart; wrist or foot.
Apical-radial pulse - Answer - Normally apical & radial pulses are identical but an apical rate greater than
the radial rate can indicate that the thrust of blood from the heart is too weak to be felt peripherally.
Possible indication of vascular disease.
Apnea - Answer - Absence of breathing
Arrhythmia (aka dysrhythmia) - Answer - A pulse with an irregular rhythm (aka dysrhythmia).
Arterial blood pressure - Answer - Measure of the pressure exerted by the blood as it flows through the
arteries.
Arteriosclerosis - Answer - Elastic & muscular tissues of the arteries are replaced with fibrous tissue, the
arteries lose much of their ability to constrict & dilate. Common in middle aged & older adults.
, Auscultatory gap - Answer - Occurs particularly in hypertensive people; is the temporary disappearance
of sounds normally heard over the brachial artery when the cuff pressure is high followed by the
reappearance of the sounds at a lower level.
Basal metabolic rate (BMR) - Answer - Rate of energy utilization in the body required to maintain
essential activities such as breathing. Rates decrease with age. Generally younger people have higher
BMR.
Body temperature - Answer - Reflects the balance between the heat produced & lost from the body.
Measured in degrees.
Bradycardia - Answer - Heart rate in an adult of less than 60 bpm.
Bradypnea - Answer - Abnormally slow respirations.
Cardiac output - Answer - Volume of blood pumped into the arteries by the heart and equals the result
of the stroke volume (SV) times the heart rate (HR) per min.
Compliance - Answer - Arteries ability to contract & expand.
Conduction - Answer - The transfer of heat from one molecule to a molecule of lower temperature.
Cannot take place without contact between the molecules & normally accounts for minimal heat loss.
Constant fever - Answer - Body temperature fluctuates minimally but always remains above normal.
Convection - Answer - Dispersion of heat by air currents.
Core temperature - Answer - Temperature of the deep tissues of the body such as the abdominal cavity
& pelvic cavity. Remains relatively constant.
