Vital Capacity: From 2 Different Sources
The amount of air that can be forcibly exhaled from the lungs after a deep inspiration. (See RESPIRATION.)
the maximum volume of air that a person can exhale after maximum inhalation. It is usually measured on an instrument called a spirometer.
An indication that an individual is still alive. Chest movements (resulting from respiration), the existence of a pulse (showing that the heart is still beating) and constriction of the pupil of the eye in response to bright light are all vital signs. Other tests such as assessment of brain activity may also be needed in some circumstances: for example, when a patient is on a life-support machine. (See also GLASGOW COMA SCALE.)... vital sign
The pulse, respiration, temperature and blood pressure.... vital signs
Systematically tabulated information concerning births, marriages, divorces, separations and deaths, based on registrations of those vital events.... vital statistics
Groups of neurons (see NEURON(E)), usually sited in the HYPOTHALAMUS and the BRAIN stem, that are the control centres for various essential body functions. Examples are: blood pressure, breathing, heart rate and temperature control. The centres are part of the body’s re?ex adjustments to the outside world and its internal environment and are essential in maintaining HOMEOSTASIS.... vital centres
Assessment of a population’s health that relies on the collection of data on birth and death rates and on the causes of death.... statistics, vital
n. the state of being able to make decisions about one’s medical care, i.e. to consent to or to refuse treatment. The law, by virtue of the *Mental Capacity Act 2005, requires that to assess capacity doctors should evaluate whether a patient can comprehend, retain, and weigh up information in the balance such as to make a considered decision that can be communicated. The patient must understand the nature, purpose, and possible consequences of having and not having investigations or treatments. Capacity is often impaired in such conditions as stroke, dementia, learning disability, mental illness, and intoxication with illicit substances. The term competence is often used as a synonym, but since the Mental Capacity Act 2005 came into force capacity is the preferred term. See also incompetence. —capacitous adj.... capacity
(IMCA) a person who must, by virtue of the *Mental Capacity Act 2005, be contacted to represent the *best interests of a patient who lacks *capacity and has no family or friends while acting as a proxy in medical decision-making. IMCAs are available via the local Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy Service.... independent mental capacity advocate
legislation for England and Wales, which came into force in October 2007, to govern the treatment of people who lack *capacity to make decisions. It gives legal force to the importance of *autonomy in health care and to *advance directives, decisions, or statements. It also provides statutory legislation for medical and social decision-makers to act in the patient’s best interests should he or she lose capacity (see Independent Mental Capacity Advocate). It allows proportionate force to implement decisions made in a patient’s best interests. For Scotland the current legislation is the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000.... mental capacity act 2005
any of the collections of nerve cells in the brain that act as governing centres for different vital body functions – such as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, temperature control etc. – making reflex adjustments according to the body’s needs. Most lie in the hypothalamus and brainstem.... vital centre
(intravital staining) the process of staining a living tissue by injecting a stain into the organism. Compare supravital staining.... vital staining
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