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Vital signs are your window into what's happening inside a person's body when you can't see the problem directly. In first aid situations, these five measurements—pulse rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and level of consciousness—tell you whether someone is stable, deteriorating, or in immediate danger. You're being tested on your ability to recognize normal ranges, abnormal findings, and what those changes indicate about underlying conditions like shock, respiratory failure, or neurological emergencies.
Don't just memorize the numbers—understand what each vital sign reveals about body function and how changes guide your response. A rapid pulse and fast breathing together might suggest shock; an unresponsive patient with slow breathing demands immediate airway management. The real skill is connecting the dots between vital signs and appropriate interventions, which is exactly what exam questions will ask you to do.
These vital signs reflect how well the heart and blood vessels are delivering oxygen throughout the body. When circulation fails, these measurements change first—often before visible symptoms appear.
Compare: Pulse rate vs. blood pressure—both reflect cardiovascular function, but pulse can be assessed immediately without equipment while blood pressure requires a sphygmomanometer. If you can only check one vital sign quickly, pulse gives you the fastest insight into circulation status.
Breathing rate and quality reveal whether the body is getting adequate oxygen. The respiratory system compensates for many problems—increased breathing often signals the body is working harder to maintain oxygen levels.
Compare: Tachypnea vs. bradypnea—rapid breathing means the body is compensating and still fighting; slow breathing often means the system is failing. Bradypnea in an unresponsive patient is a critical emergency requiring immediate intervention.
Body temperature reflects the balance between heat production and heat loss. Extreme temperatures in either direction can be life-threatening and require opposite interventions.
Compare: Hyperthermia vs. hypothermia—both are temperature emergencies, but treatment is opposite. Cooling an overheated patient and warming a hypothermic patient seem obvious, but rapid temperature changes in either direction can cause dangerous complications. Gradual correction is key.
Level of consciousness tells you how well the brain is functioning. Changes in awareness are often the earliest warning sign of serious conditions affecting the brain's oxygen or blood supply.
Compare: Alert vs. unresponsive patients—an alert patient can protect their own airway and tell you what's wrong; an unresponsive patient cannot. This single vital sign determines whether you focus on gathering information or managing life-threatening airway compromise.
| Concept | Best Examples |
|---|---|
| Cardiovascular function | Pulse rate, blood pressure |
| Respiratory function | Respiratory rate, breathing quality |
| Thermoregulation | Body temperature (fever, hypothermia) |
| Neurological function | Level of consciousness (AVPU) |
| Shock indicators | Rapid/weak pulse, low BP, altered consciousness |
| Can assess without equipment | Pulse, respiratory rate, LOC, skin temperature |
| Requires equipment for accuracy | Blood pressure, core body temperature |
| Airway emergency triggers | Unresponsive LOC, bradypnea |
A patient has a rapid, weak pulse and fast, shallow breathing. Which two vital sign changes together most strongly suggest shock, and what underlying problem do they indicate?
Compare and contrast tachypnea and bradypnea—which is more immediately dangerous in an unresponsive patient, and why does this guide your intervention priority?
Using the AVPU scale, what is the critical difference between a patient who responds to verbal stimuli versus one who responds only to pain? How does this change your assessment approach?
A hiker is found with slurred speech, confusion, and skin that feels cold. Which vital signs would you prioritize checking, and what condition do these findings suggest?
If you had no equipment available, which three vital signs could you still assess, and what information would each provide about the patient's condition?