Airway & Oxygen
Normal Breathing Rates:
Adult:
Child:
Infant:
Adequate Breathing Rates- repertory rate within normal range & a regular breathing
pattern. Breath sounds that are present and free of unusual noises. Chest expansion that
is adequate and equal with minimum effort.
Adult:
Child:
Infant:
Inadequate Breathing- is characterized by shallow respirations, mental status changes,
and shows effort in breathing, gasping/grunting, and slow heart rate.
Airway Maintenance
***Most common cause of airway obstruction in an unresponsive patient is the
______________.
Reasons why:
1)
2)
3)
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Methods for opening the airway
1)
2)
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Vital Signs Skills Assignment
Name:_____________________________
Working with a partner, you will go threw each section and complete the task
listed. Record your answers in the space provided for each section. Once you
are finished gathering your data, compare your results with each chart and
determine whether your results coincide with the recommended number listed.
Pulse: should be assessed for both rate and quality.
 Characterized by:
WEAK OR STRONG
REGULAR OR IRREGULAR
 How to take a pulse: # of beats felt in 30 seconds multiplied by 2
Irregular should be assessed for a full minute!!!
Your Pulse Results #1: _________
Your Pulse Results #2:_________
Your Partner’s Reading of your Pulse: ________
Where do you fall in accordance to the chart? ______________
Respiration: assessed by watching the rise and fall of the patient’s chest.
Respiration should be assessed for both rate and quality.
 Characterized by:
o Normal- average chest wall movement, no accessory muscle use
o Shallow- only slight chest or abdominal movement
o Noisy- snoring, wheezing, gurgling, etc.
o Labored- an increase in the effort of breathing
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 Taking your rate of respiration: Count # of breaths a patient takes in 30
seconds and multiply by 2.
Your rate of respiration Results #1: ______
Your rate of respiration Results #2: ______
Your Partner’s Reading of your rate of respiration: ______
Where do you fall in accordance to the chart? ___________
Blood Pressure: A measurement of the force being exerted by the heart when
it pumps.
Blood pressure is recorded as a fraction such as 110/70. The systolic pressure is the top
number and the diastolic number is the bottom number.
1. Sit with your arm slightly bent and resting comfortably on a table so that your upper
arm is on the same level as your heart.
2. Wrap the blood pressure cuff around your bare upper arm. The lower edge of the
cuff should be about 1 in (2.5 cm) above the bend of your elbow.
3. Close the valve on the rubber inflating bulb. Squeeze the bulb rapidly with your
opposite hand to inflate the cuff. Keep squeezing until the dial or column of mercury
reads about 240 mm Hg.
4. The pressure in the cuff will temporarily stop all blood flow in your arm.
5. Put the stethoscope over the large artery slightly above the inside of your elbow.
You can find this artery by feeling for its pulse with the fingers of your other hand.
6. Open the valve on the bulb just slightly. The numbers on the pressure dial or
mercury tube should fall gradually—about 2 to 3 mm Hg per second.
7. Listen through the stethoscope. As you watch the pressure slowly fall, note the
number on the dial or tube when you first start to hear a pulsing or tapping
sound. The sound is caused by the blood starting to move through the closed artery.
This is your systolic blood pressure.
8. Continue letting the air out slowly. The sounds will become muffled and finally will
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disappear. Note the number when the sounds completely disappear. This is your
diastolic blood pressure. Finally, let out all the remaining air to take the cuff off.
Take your blood pressure 2 times. Wait 5 minutes between recordings to let the blood flow
back into your arm.
Your readings (must be done by your partner):
#1_________
#2___________
Where do you fall in accordance to the chart? ___________
Skin: Assessed by the patient’s skin color in the nail beds, lips, gums, an
inside eyelids.
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*Vital Sign Reference Charts*
Normal Pulse
Resting Respiration
Age
Normal Average
Newborn
1 year
3 year
6 year
10 Year
14 Year
Adult
100-170
80-170
80-130
75-120
70-110
60-110
60-100
Age
Newborn
1 year
3 Year
6 Year
14 Year
Adult
140
120
110
100
90
90
80
Normal
30-50
20-40
20-30
16-22
14-20
12-20
Average
40
30
25
19
17
18
Normal Body Temp
adult oral - 98.6
axillary - 97.6
Blood Pressure
Age
Newborn
Infant
3 Year
6 Year
10 Year
14 Year
Adult
Systolic
65-95
65-115
76-122
85-115
93-125
99-137
100-140
Diastolic
30-60
42-80
46-84
48-64
46-68
51-71
60-90
Average
80-60
90-61
99-65
100-56
109-58
118/61
120-80
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