Baseline Observations

All information is taken from the IHCD Green

Book or JRCALC 2004 / 2006.

It is aimed at CFR level.

Pulses

We use 3 factors when examining a pulse

Rate

Rhythm

Volume

The rate of a pulse (or speed) gives us an indication of the oxygenation and volume of the blood.

If it is pumping fast, it may mean the heart is working faster to get blood and the oxygen attached to it around the body.

Rate

Is it regular or irregular?

This gives us an indication of how well the conductive system of the heart is working (the electrical side of it!)

A normal heart should beat in a set rhythm

Rhythm

How strong is a pulse?

A strong pulse at the wrist (radial) suggests the patient has a good blood pressure.

If you are unable to find a pulse at the wrist, or a very weak pulse, this may suggest the patient has a low blood pressure (so check it!)

Volume

When you can find a pulse at the following site you can assume your patient has a systolic BP greater than……

Useful Information

Carotid (Neck)

Femoral (Groin)

Radial (Wrist)

60 mm/Hg

70 mm/Hg

80 mm/Hg

In the ambulance service we look at 5 different pulse sites. We use them to assess our patients

Carotid Brachial Radial Femoral Pedal

Pulse Sites

When dealing with an injury we look for something called the distal pulse. This is the pulse further away from the injury.

I.e. if you break your arm we check the radial pulse (wrist) and compare it with another pulse site to make sure that there is no vessel damage to the extremity because of the injury.

We would do the same with the paedal pulse for a broken leg / ankle / hip etc

Distal Pulses

Respirations and Oxygen Saturations

What are normal respirations?

An adult takes between 12 – 20 breaths a minute.

A child of school age (5-12) between 18 – 30 A toddler (3-5) between 24 – 40 An infant (0-3) between 30-60 Their chest should rise and fall without

noticeable effort. It should be a relatively quiet action

Respirations

Rate Depth (shallow or excessively deep) Use of accessory muscles Noticeable sounds when breathing in or out Is their difficulty with breathing in, or

breathing out? Abnormal smells

So what changes are we looking for when assessing respirations

What is normal for the patients age? Children breath much quicker than adults. A

newborn babies rate could range from 30 – 60 breaths a minute.

Is the patient anxious? Is their body desperately trying to take on more

oxygen? Is there an injury that may effect the respiratory

centre in the brain, which in turn is not telling the body to breath?

Is there the chance they may have taken an overdose?

Rate

Anyone with a respiratory rate of under 10 breaths a minute should be supported using the BVM.

What if they are conscious?

A: Coached breathing – breathe in, breathe out (prompt them)

We are told -

Is the patient only able to take very shallow breaths. Why?

Is it due to a medical condition affecting their lungs?

Is it too painful due to an injury to the chest?

Depth of Breathing

Do their shoulders rise noticeably when taking a breath?

Does their stomach move on inspiration?

Do they have a painful / anxious look on their face?

Nasal flaring

Are they using accessory muscles

Can you hear a wheeze? Crackles? A type of bark?

What could these be?

Wheeze – Lower airway – Asthma Stridor – Upper airway – Obstruction or Airway Burn Crepitations – Air spaces popping – Oedema i.e.

mucus from a chest infection.

When can you hear it? On inspiration or on expiration?

Listen to their breathing

If heard audibly you should ideally be using a stethoscope to further listen to their breathing.

Is it in all lung fields On inspiration or expiration Does position change the sound (sitting or

lying) Are they coughing anything up? (colour,

frothy, blood stained - take a sample).

Listen to their breathing

Stethoscope positioning

Listen to their breathing

What can you smell on their breath?

Alcohol – this may depress the respiratory rate if the patient has drunk enough

Sweet, sickly (pear drops smell). Is the patient diabetic and having a hyperglycaemic attack. This would normally be coupled with ‘kussmaul’ respirations. This is deep laboured breathing commonly associated with metabolic acidosis.

Smells!

Look at the patients breathing. Compare it with normal respirations.

What is different, when is it different.

Report your findings in your handover and on your paperwork.

So respirations, summed up

Monitoring respirations using equipment.

The easiest way to count someone's respirations is to put them onto oxygen and count the times the mask mists up as they take a breath.

New O2 masks

SATS monitors will come in a variety of forms.

Monitoring the effectiveness of respirations using a Oxygen Saturations Monitor

As a general rule the SATS monitor will only work well if –

The patient is not cold They are wearing no nail varnish Their finger sits snugly into the machines

probe.

Monitoring the Patient

The patients pulse rate (ongoing)

The oxygen saturation of the extremity (finger) that is being monitored.

Some models show you the strength (and reliability) of the reading. Sometimes using a Red/Amber/Green light.

So what does it show?

A normal adult should have saturations of between what?

95-100%

Smokers may have a slightly lower reading of between 96 – 98%

Get the patient to take a deep breath and see if their saturations will rise higher before automatically giving oxygen to non-dependant patients.

What would be normal

Try another finger and check the strength indicator.

If still low, administer oxygen and alter the positioning of the patient (sitting up etc) and monitor any changes on the SATS probe.

The hospital will need to know the patients SATS before oxygen and after oxygen, so remember to record it.

If the reading is low -

If you feel the patient is cyanosed, or very pale and the SATS machine is showing good saturations, act on what you see, not what the machine tells you.

Remember to think ‘hyperventilation’ first though. These patients look in extreme distress, but are always a good colour and will have good SATS.

Saturations showing as 98 – 100%, but you’re not sure!

In groups –

Monitor each other on the SATS probe, check the monitors pulse rate with a manual check of the pulse.

Is anyone a smoker? What are their SATS levels compared to a non smoker?

Hold your breath. Does it change the reading?

Practice counting each others resp. rate without using an oxygen mask.

Practice counting each others resp. rate watching the misting on an oxygen mask.

Which method do you prefer?

PRACTICAL EXERCISE

Blood Pressure Monitoring

Blood pressure is defined as the pressure which blood exerts on the walls of the blood vessels. The pressure is greater in the large arteries leaving the heart and lowest in the large veins approaching the heart.

When the left ventricle contracts and pushes the blood into the aorta, the pressure produced is called the ‘Systolic’ pressure.

When the heart is relaxing after the ejection of blood, the pressure within the arteries is called the ‘Diastolic’ blood pressure.

So a BP of 120/80 is a systolic pressure of 120mm Hg and a diastolic pressure of 80mm Hg. Remember SOD, systolic over diastolic it will help you remember how to write a blood pressure.

What is blood pressure?

In an adult your systolic should be 100 plus your age upto 40. (i.e. a 20 year old should have a systolic of 120, and a 39 year old should have one of 139).

Diastolic should always be about 80, and would be treated if above 100 with drugs. (by your GP)

What is a normal BP?

Reduction in blood volume. Fluids can be lost through wounds, burns, dehydration and fractures.

Problems with the nerves that effect the resistance of the blood vessels.

Damage to the vessels, or the heart (the pump of the system)

Shock Stress

What could effect blood pressure?

Loss of blood (hypovolaemic shock) through a visible injury, a hidden injury (i.e. internal injury), large bone fractures, dehydration (could be associated with D and V) and burns.

Postural Hypotension (sitting or standing up too quickly). Common in the elderly as their reflexes are slower. Sometimes call syncope.

What could cause low blood pressure? (hypotension)

Strokes (CVA / TIA) Stress Anxiety Some cardiac problems Old age, due to the arteries being clogged

up with plaque. (these patients will usually be on blood pressure lowering medication from their GP)

Head injuries after the initial drop in BP (late stages)

What could cause high blood pressure (hypertension)

Electronic cuff Manual blood pressure (using a stethoscope

and cuff) Systolic check using pulse points Systolic check using cuff and pulse points

What is the preferred and most accurate method?

Manual method!!!

How can we monitor a patients blood pressure?

Lay them down and raise their feet. (unless their injuries do not allow this)

How can we raise someone’s blood pressure if it is low?

Some raises in BP are due to anxiety and stress, so try to calm and reassure the patient and remove anything stressing the patient out. E.g. relatives, remove the patient from a public place if they are embarrassed as everyone is watching them.

HCP’s may give drugs that have the side effect of lowering BP’s (e.g. GTN)

How do we lower a patients blood pressure?

Most have an arrow on to identify where it should be placed in relation to the brachial artery. Follow this.

If it doesn’t place it so the tube follows the artery down the arm.

Wrap it firmly around the upper arm above the elbow crease.

On or under clothing?

BP Cuff Placement

Ensure the ear tips of the stethoscope point slightly forward.

Just try to put your fingers in your ears pointing them straight.

Now try by pointing them slightly forward.

The bell should sit over the brachial artery, generally this is in the centre of the elbow crease but can be slightly medial.

Stethoscope

Watch the following video then get into pairs and away you go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6saTO8_o2g&feature=related

Try using the cuff and pulse site technique to determine your patients systolic BP.

If you are really brave, try taking a Blood Pressure with a cuff and steth. Ask if you want someone to come and check it with you using the training dual ear stethoscope if we have one!

PRACTICAL SESSION

Assessment of responsiveness

AVPU

AVPU

A – Alert and orientated

V – Responds to voice (when spoken to)

P – Responds to painful stimuli / or withdraws from it. ear pinch, finger bed irritation or firm tap on the shoulders

U - Unresponsive

Basic First Line Check

GCS – Glasgow Coma Scale

The GCS tests three different neurological responses from aspects of the patients behaviour

Eye opening

Verbal Response

Motor Response

More Advanced Method

GCS – Glasgow Coma Scale

Eye Opening - Scored out of 4

4: Spontaneous when approached they may well be open.

3: Opening to Speech if they are not opening spontaneously, first speak and if necessary shout.

2: Opening to Pain exerting a little pressure on the finger nail bed is the most effective method.

1: No Eye Opening neither eye opens to painful stimulation.

GCS – Glasgow Coma Scale

Verbal Response - Scored out of 5 5: Orientated Ask who they are, where they are and what

year/month it is. /if accurate the pt is orientated. 4: Confused Conversation When they can produce

meaningful phrases or sentences but are unable to give accurate answers to questions.

3: Inappropriate Words Pt saying only one or two words (often swearing) for no apparent reason.

2: Incomprehensible Words Groans, mutterings or mumblings. No intelligible words.

1: No Verbal Response Prolonged or repeated stimulation produces no verbal response.

GCS – Glasgow Coma Scale Motor Response - Scored out of 6 6: Obeys commands Pt can accurately respond to

instructions with a number of different movements i.e. open

your eyes, raise your left arm, put out your tongue. 5: Localises Pain If the pt can move an arm to locate a

painful stimulus on head or trunk in an effort to remove it. 4: Withdraws from Pain Pulls away from painful stimulus.

3: Abnormal Flexion Painful stimulus at the fingertips causes abnormal flexion of the limbs. Decorticate posture

2: Extensor Response The stimulus causes limb extension (adduction, internal rotation of the shoulder, pronation of forearm). Decerebrate posture

1: No Response to Pain No detectable response to pain.

Decorticate and Decerebrate responses are never easy to remember; but are to picture!

Motor Response

Most find it easier to carry a copy of a chart than remembering it.

GCS Chart

Just remember – you do not need to include all of this for each patient.

Key things are: Alertness – on arrival and current state. Obs – first and current if more than one set. Saturation – pre and post O2. Any history you feel is relevant Anything else you have come across

The most important thing is to reassure the patient before any of this and do any treatment to prevent them deteriorating!

Quick summary

Any questions

Please take a copy of the presentation including useful handouts.