VITAL SIGNS

Obtaining vital signs and trending them via documentation helps the medical responder to adequately assess casualty’s condition, assess treatment effectiveness, and determine future care needed. Frequency of vital signs is determined by the severity of the casualty's condition.

Frequency

- Non-critical casualty: Obtain vital signs every 12 hours.
- Stable but serious: Obtain vital signs every 4 hours.
- Critical Casualty: Obtain vital signs every 15-30 minutes with ongoing resuscitation until stability is established.

Non-medical Responders

- Minimum: Heart rate via pulse check, manual respiratory rate, pain scale, and checking color, condition, and temperature of skin. Mental status – alert or not alert.

Medical Responders

- Minimum: Systolic blood pressure (BP) estimation using presence of pulses, mental status (perform Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] for any abnormality noted), heart rate via pulse check, pain scale, respiratory rate, and checking color, condition, and temperature of skin. Trend and document all vital signs in the PCC Flowsheet in Appendix A.
- Better: Above + temperature and manual BP.
- Best: Portable monitor providing ongoing or automatic periodic vital signs display, end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) monitoring (when appropriate), consider internal temperature monitors depending on patient condition, necessity, and supplies.