Vital Signs

Vital Signs

Vital signs are a key part of being a paramedic. It is vital, to see what I did there, to know how to check a patient's vital signs and understand what they mean.

Heart Rate (bpm)

The normal heart rate for a human is 60-100 bpm. Anything higher than 100 bpm is considered to be tachycardia and anything lower than 60 is considered to be bradycardia. Heart Rate is the number of beats the heart makes in 1 minute.

Respiratory Rate (RR)

The normal respiratory rate for a human is 12-20 breaths per minute. Anything higher than 20 is considered to be tachypnea and anything lower bradypnea. Respiratory Rate is the number of breaths a person takes in a minute.

Oxygen Saturation (Spo2)

The normal oxygen saturation for a human is 94%+. Spo2 is how much oxygen is in each blood cell determining how oxygenated the person is.

Blood Pressure (BP)

Blood pressure is measured using two numbers:

Systolic pressure: this is the higher of the two numbers. It’s the pressure against your arteries when your heart is pumping blood around your body.

Diastolic pressure: this is the lower of the two numbers. It shows how much pressure is in your arteries when your heart relaxes between beats.

Normal blood pressure is usually considered to be between 90/60 mmHg and 120/80 mmHg.

Anything lower than 90/60 is considered to be hypotension and anything higher than 120/80 is hypertension.


Heart Rhythms

There are many different rhythms the heart presents. The normal rhythm is called a sinus rhythm and is what you want all patients to be in. However, so you know what to see in the field we show you the ones that cause concern for you.

There are only a couple of these that you need to remember:

  • V-Fib
    • Shockable Rhythm
    • Indicates Cardiac Arrest
  • V-Tac
    • Shockable Rhythm
    • Indicates Cardiac Arrest
  • STEMI
    • Non-Shockable
    • Indicates Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack)
  • Sinus Brady
    • Slow Heart Beat
    • Non-Shockable
  • Sinus Tach
    • Fast Heart Beat
    • Non-Shockable
  • NSR
    • Everything is normal
  • PEA
    • Pulseless Electrical Activity
    • Non-Shockable
    • Cardiac Arrest
  • Asystole
    • Otherwise known as a flatline
    • Non-Shockable
    • Cardiac Arrest


Lesson Summary

Vital signs are important indicators of a patient's health status. It is crucial for paramedics to know how to check and interpret vital signs in order to provide the appropriate care.

Here are the key vital signs and what they mean:

  • Heart Rate (bpm): The normal heart rate for a human is 60-100 bpm. A heart rate above 100 bpm is tachycardia, while a heart rate below 60 bpm is bradycardia. Heart rate refers to the number of heartbeats in a minute.
  • Respiratory Rate (RR): The normal respiratory rate for a human is 12-20 breaths per minute. A respiratory rate higher than 20 is tachypnea, and a rate lower than 12 is bradypnea. Respiratory rate indicates the number of breaths a person takes in a minute.
  • Oxygen Saturation (Spo2): The normal oxygen saturation for a human is 94% or above. Spo2 measures the amount of oxygen in each blood cell, reflecting how well-oxygenated a person is.
  • Blood Pressure (BP): Blood pressure is measured using two numbers. The systolic pressure represents the pressure against arteries when the heart is pumping blood, and the diastolic pressure shows the pressure in the arteries when the heart relaxes between beats. Normal blood pressure ranges from 90/60 mmHg to 120/80 mmHg. Hypotension is considered when blood pressure is lower than 90/60 mmHg, and hypertension when it is higher than 120/80 mmHg.

There are different heart rhythms that indicate different conditions:

  • Sinus Rhythm: Normal rhythm that is desired for all patients.
  • V-Fib: Shockable rhythm that indicates cardiac arrest.
  • V-Tac: Shockable rhythm that indicates cardiac arrest.
  • STEMI: Non-shockable rhythm that indicates myocardial infarction (heart attack).
  • Sinus Brady: Slow heart rate non-shockable rhythm.
  • Sinus Tach: Fast heart rate non-shockable rhythm.
  • NSR: Everything is normal.
  • PEA: Pulseless Electrical Activity, non-shockable rhythm indicating cardiac arrest.
  • Asystole: Flatline rhythm, non-shockable indicating cardiac arrest.

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