Vital signs

Vital signs

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Vital signs are measures of various physiological statistics often taken by health professionals in order to assess the most basic body functions. Vital signs are an essential part of a case presentation.

Primary four

There are four vital signs which are standard in most medical settings:

1. Body Temperature
2. Pulse rate (or heart rate)
3. Blood pressure
4. Respiratory rate

The equipment needed is a thermometer, a sphygmomanometer, and a watch with a second hand.

Though a pulse can often be taken by hand, a stethoscope may be required for a patient with a very weak pulse.

Additional signs

Fifth sign

The phrase "fifth vital sign" usually refers to pain, as perceived by the patient on a Pain scale of 0-10. For example, the Veterans Administration made this their policy in 1999. However, some doctors have noted that pain is actually a subjective symptom, not an objective sign, and therefore object to this classification.

Other sources include pulse oximetry as their fifth sign.

Some sources consider pupil size, equality, and reactivity to light to be a vital sign as well.

Sixth sign

There is no standard "sixth vital sign", and the use is much more informal and discipline-dependent than with the above, but some proposals (excluding the fifth sign candidates above) include:

• Urinary continence
• End-tidal CO2
• Emotional distress
• Spirometry
• Glucose
• Functional Status
• Oxygen saturation level
• Intracranial pressure
• Skin signs (color)

Variations by age

Children and infants have respiratory and heart rates that are faster than those of adults as shown in the following table:

Age	Normal heart rate (beats per minute)	Normal respiratory rate (breaths per minute)
Newborn	200-260	30-50
0-5 months	90-190	25-40
6-12 months	80-140	20-30
1-3 years	80-130	20-30
3-5 years	80-120	20-30
6-10 years	70-110	15-30
11-14 years	60-105	12-20
14+ years	60-100	12-20

See also

• Biotelemetry