[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Clinical exam](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/) › General exam and vital signs # General exam and vital signs General inspection, vital signs, pain, hydration, consciousness and early warning scores. 22 pages ## Vital sign - [**Arterial pulse: rate, rhythm and amplitude** How to feel and count the pulse, and what a fast, slow, irregular, weak or bounding pulse points…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/arterial-pulse-rate-rhythm-and-amplitude/) - [**Blood pressure measurement** How to measure blood pressure properly with a cuff and stethoscope, and how adult readings are…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/blood-pressure-measurement/) - [**Body temperature and fever patterns** How temperature is measured, when there is a fever and what shapes the fever curve can take over…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/body-temperature-and-fever-patterns/) - [**Orthostatic vital signs** Blood pressure and pulse lying down and then standing, to see whether the body copes with the…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/orthostatic-vital-signs/) - [**Pain assessment and pain scales** How to ask about pain and how to measure its intensity with numeric, visual and faces scales…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/pain-assessment-and-pain-scales/) - [**Pulse oximetry** A finger sensor estimates how much oxygen the blood carries; quick and useful, but with pitfalls…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/pulse-oximetry/) - [**Respiratory rate and breathing patterns** How many times a patient breathes per minute, how deeply and how regularly, and which abnormal…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/respiratory-rate-and-breathing-patterns/) ## Sign - [**Capillary refill time** Press the nail until it turns white and time how long the colour takes to return: it shows how…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/capillary-refill-time/) - [**Diagnostic facies** Some diseases change the face in typical ways; recognising them points to the diagnosis at first…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/diagnostic-facies/) - [**Edema: pitting, grading and distribution** Swelling from fluid in the tissues: how to look for pitting, how to grade it and what its site…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/edema-pitting-grading-and-distribution/) - [**Pallor, cyanosis and jaundice** Three colour changes of skin and mucosae that point to anemia, lack of oxygen or excess…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/pallor-cyanosis-and-jaundice/) ## Topic - [**Early warning scores: NEWS2 and qSOFA** Simple scores built from vital signs that help spot the deteriorating patient in time](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/early-warning-scores-news2-and-qsofa/) - [**Fatigue and asthenia: tiredness, weakness and the causes not to miss** Feeling tired all the time is common and has many causes: anemia, thyroid problems, depression…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/fatigue-and-asthenia-tiredness-weakness-and-the-causes-not-to-miss/) - [**Types of pain: nociceptive, neuropathic, visceral and referred** Pain from injured tissue, from an organ, from a damaged nerve, or felt far from where it starts…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/types-of-pain-nociceptive-neuropathic-visceral-and-referred/) - [**Unintentional weight loss and weight gain: the approach** Losing or gaining weight without trying can be a clue to thyroid disease, diabetes, infection…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/unintentional-weight-loss-and-weight-gain-the-approach/) - [**Vital signs in children: how they change with age** The younger the child, the faster the pulse and breathing and the lower the blood pressure…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/vital-signs-in-children-how-they-change-with-age/) - [**Vital signs: what they are and how to record them** Temperature, pulse, breathing and blood pressure: four numbers that show how the body is working…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/vital-signs-what-they-are-and-how-to-record-them/) - [**Which imaging study for which question: abdomen, kidney, blood, brain** A guide to the first imaging test for common clinical questions: belly pain, kidney problems…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/which-imaging-study-for-which-question-abdomen-kidney-blood-brain/) ## Exam technique - [**General inspection: appearance, posture, gait and consciousness** The first look at the patient: how they appear, how they move and how alert they are, before any…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/general-inspection-appearance-posture-gait-and-consciousness/) - [**Hydration status: signs of dehydration** What to look at and feel at the bedside to tell whether a patient is short of fluid, and by how…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/hydration-status-signs-of-dehydration/) - [**Level of consciousness and the Glasgow Coma Scale** How to describe how awake a patient is and how to score it with the Glasgow Coma Scale, from 3…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/level-of-consciousness-and-the-glasgow-coma-scale/) - [**Weight, height, body mass index and waist circumference** How to weigh, measure height and work out body mass index, and why waist size matters too](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/weight-height-body-mass-index-and-waist-circumference/) ## A to Z - [A](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/a/) - [B](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/b/) - [C](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/c/) - [D](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/d/) - [E](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/e/) - [F](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/f/) - [G](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/g/) - [H](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/h/) - [I](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/i/) - [J](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/j/) - [K](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/k/) - [L](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/l/) - [M](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/m/) - [N](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/n/) - [O](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/o/) - [P](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/p/) - [R](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/r/) - [S](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/s/) - [T](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/t/) - [U](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/u/) - [V](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/v/) - [W](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/w/) [← Clinical examination](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/) Educational content on the clinical exam; it is learned and practised under supervision. It does not replace assessment by a health professional and is not for self-diagnosis. Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/areas/general/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/areas/general/