FUTURE PARAMEDIC

Normal – neither shallow nor deep – equal chest rise and fall – no use of accessory muscles

Shallow – decreased chest motion – decreased abdominal wall motion

Labored – increased breathing effort – use of accessory muscles – possible gasping – nasal flaring – intercostal retractions in children and infants – supraclavicular retractions in children and infants

Noisy – increase in sound of breathing – includes      – snoring      – wheezing      – gurgling      – grunting      – stridor

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⤹ or, in which bex tells you about vitals 

⤹ read the other entries of “ A Medic’s Guide to Medical Writing”

To me, vitals are a writer’s best friends. 

Being able to accurately describe vitals signs not only makes your work that much more “real”, it can also propel your story just by a few set of numbers. So let’s get started. 

What are vitals?

Vitals are measurements of the body’s function that help determine the status of a patient. Vitals also help other medical professional determine a course of treatment and observe how the treatment effects the patient. 

If I give a patient medication and I notice his vitals improve, that means he’s getting better. If they don’t improve, then my initial thought of what the problem was is wrong. Make sense? 

Pulse Rate: a measure of how many times the heart beats in a minute 

Respirations: a measure of how many times someone breathes in a minute 

Blood Pressure: the measure of the pressure of your heart beating. The first number is called the systolic, which is a measurement of the pressure in the arteries of you heart when it contracts. The second number, called the diastolic, is a measurement of the arteries in your heart when it relaxes. 

Temperature: a measurement of the overall temperature of the body. 

And it is standard knowledge and anyone in the medical field. If someone were to ask me: “What’s the normal vitals of a healthy adult?” Here is what I would tell them: 

“BP is 120/80, respirations are 12 to 20 a minute, pulse rate is 60 to 100 a minute, temperature is 98.6.” 

Now to you, that might sound like a whole lot of confusing information, but I promise it isn’t! I’m going to show you what the normal vitals are for every age category, because yes they are different. 

Neonate (aged 0- 1 month) 

Pulse Rate: 90 to 80 beats a minute 

Respirations: 30 to 60 times a minute 

Blood Pressure (BP): 90/60

Temperature: 98 to 100 degrees 

Infant (aged 1 month - 1 year)

Pulse Rate: 100 to 160 beats a minute 

Respirations: 25 to 50 a minute 

Blood Pressure (BP): 105/66

Temperature: 96.8 to 99.6 degrees.

Toddler (aged 1 - 3 years)

Pulse Rate: 90 to 150 beats a minute 

Respirations: 20 to 30 a minute

Blood Pressure (BP): 105/66

Temperature: 96.8 to 99.6 degrees.

Preschool Age ( aged 3 - 6 years)

Pulse Rate: 30 to 140 beats a minute 

Respirations: 20 to 25 a minute 

Blood Pressure (BP): 110/70

Temperature: 98.6 degrees

School Age (aged 6 - 12 years)

Pulse Rate: 70 to 120 a minute 

Respirations: 15 to 20 a minute 

Blood Pressure (BP): 112/72

Temperature: 98.6 degrees 

Adolescent (aged 12- 18 years)

Pulse Rate: 60 to 100 a minute

Respirations: 12 to 20 a minute

Blood Pressure (BP): 120/80

Temperature: 98.6 degrees

Early Adult (aged 19 - 40 years) 

Pulse Rate: 60 to 100 a minute

Respirations: 12 to 20 a minute

Blood Pressure (BP): 120/80

Temperature: 98.6 degrees

Middle Adult (aged 41 - 60 years)

Pulse Rate: 60 to 100 a minute

Respirations: 12 to 20 a minute

Blood Pressure (BP): 120/80

Temperature: 98.6 degrees

Older Adult (aged 61 and older)

Pulse Rate: 60 to 100 a minute

Respirations: 12 to 20 a minute

Blood Pressure (BP): 120/80

Temperature: 98.6 degrees

You will quickly noticed that once the age category gets older, the vitals will mostly stay the same. The general rule is, the younger the person, the faster the vitals. Ask any parent and they will tell you, kids move fast. Not only that, the muscles and the bones in their body haven’t fully developed or solidified yet. A child with a higher set vitals than their parent is absolutely normal. 

How to see whether a Chinese handmade teapot is well done or not - quality of the spout is an important standard. 

- get dressed and style your hair as if you’re going to school/work - even use the same perfume/ cologne as you normally do  (trick your mind into being motivated)

- plan things out - everything (plan out your week, day, meal, etc. you can make these as specific as you’d like. this will help you stay on top of your work as well as stay healthy, especially if you live alone.)

- make studying/ working the first thing you do each day - best if you can start in the morning (minimize the tendency to procrastinate)

- just start - don’t worry too much about perfecting or finishing anything yet (if you don’t start then there’s nothing for you to perfect or get done. and it will never get done)

- listen to old and simple (aka non-distracting) podcasts, Youtube videos, or café/ chattering white-noise, etc. simply leave them as background noise to create an illusion of being outside your room (bring the presence of people to you. my favorites lately have been slam poems from 2016, Mae Martin’s stages, and Awsten Knight’s crackhead podcasts)

- set timers, for both study sessions and breaks (so that you don’t overwork, burn out, or procrastinate. the Pomodoro technique works great here)

- take advantage of the comfort of your own home (light a candle, have crunchy snacks, play loud music, review notes out loud while pacing around, wrap yourself in a blanket burrito, study on your bed if you can focus there like me, etc. basically anything you can’t do in a classroom, office, or the library)

- if you miss your friends, call/ text/ facetime them, make a study group chat with them, etc. (that is what technology is for)

- choose recreational activities/ self-care for your breaks instead of going on social media (go on walks, make small art, play an instrument, stretch, take a nap, etc. I usually reach for my guitar, brainstorm writing ideas, or sketch very simple line art.)

- if you want to go on social media, do it during meal times - or the 15 minutes after your meals that you can’t work just yet (it also doesn’t make you feel like you’re wasting time)

- study in different rooms for a change of scenery (dining room, living room, the patio, etc. I have an armchair next to the window that I study in whenever I need some sunlight and don’t have to write anything down. however, if you need a designated place to focus on your work, you can also use these alternative spaces as designated “relax” or “creative” place for your breaks)

- use this as an opportunity to take care of yourself (get enough sleep, drink water, exercise, talk to your family, take your meds, be mindful of your mental health, etc.)

Feel free to add your tips. The current situation sure is unpleasant but it is unavoidable. All we can really do now is take care of ourselves, others, and try to make the best out of this.

Rhokotela’s Intro to ECGs

Rhokotela’s Intro to ECGs

This is bad for a multitude of reasons. But the one good side is I found a way to keep busy during the quarantine. I've been sewing washable mask covers for her and her coworkers.

It's not much, but it'll hopefully offer a little protection for both them and their patients.

I hope they like Marvel...it's that or baby unicorns.