Vital Signs

Vital signs are not isolated numbers. They are bedside evidence of thermoregulation, ventilation, circulation, oxygen delivery, autonomic response, and pain or distress. A value becomes meaningful when it is compared with the patient’s baseline, recent trend, appearance, and clinical situation. A heart rate of 110/min after climbing stairs may be expected. The same rate in a pale, cool patient with falling blood pressure and new confusion suggests inadequate circulating volume or another cause of shock. Experienced nurses notice the pattern before deciding whether one number is “normal.” For most resting adults, a respiratory rate of about 12–20 breaths/min and pulse of about 60–100/min are common reference points, but neither range replaces clinical judgement. Age, fitness, pregnancy, pain, fever, medications, chronic disease, and activity can shift an individual baseline. Pediatric values vary substantially with age, especially during infancy. Measure vital signs before procedures, after interventions, when the patient reports a change, and whenever appearance and previous observations do not match. A monitor can supply numbers; it cannot assess work of breathing, skin colour, mental status, pulse quality, or the patient’s ability...