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What's up guys? In this video, we're going to talk about the normal values that you're required to know as a respiratory therapist or as a respiratory therapy student. Are you ready? Let's go.
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Learning all the different normal values is an important step for respiratory therapy students when it comes to making informed clinical decisions. Because if you're not familiar with what's normal, how are you supposed to know what action to take, right? This is why it's so important for students to know, learn, memorize, and understand all of the required normal values. The good news is, we're going to cover each and every one of them here in this video.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the questions on both the TMC exam and the clinical Sims will include normal patient values. What this means is that you will be required to know the normal value ranges in order to come up with a correct answer. Now, this is not a reason to panic. All it takes is a little bit of time, focus, and energy, and you can master all the normal values in no time. And hopefully, this video will help. So, if you're ready, let's go ahead and dive right in.
Just keep in mind that in general, the normal value ranges may vary from one publication to another. Now, with that said, in this video, we have attempted to provide the ranges that will be most helpful when preparing for the TMC exam and the clinical Sims. So, without further ado, let's get into the normal values.
First, we have the patient assessment normal values. While performing a routine patient assessment, these are the values that you'll need to look at, and here are their normal ranges. A normal heart rate is 60 to 100 beats per minute. The normal respiratory rate is 8 to 20 breaths per minute. The normal oxygen saturation or SpO2 is greater than 93%. Now, in some cases, yes, it is okay to accept an oxygen saturation of greater than 90%, but the technical normal value should be greater than 93%. So, just keep that in mind. The normal blood pressure is 120 over 80 millimeters of mercury, and the normal body temperature is 37 degrees Celsius or 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.
Next up, we have the ABG normal values. Now, it goes without saying, but these are critically important on so many levels when it comes to ABG interpretation, which can help you provide appropriate and adequate care for the patient. We actually just released a new video and study guide on our website that covers the ins and outs of ABGs. So, if you're interested, I'll drop links to those down below in the description. But for you to better understand the key elements of an ABG test, it is important for you to know the definition of the values that are being measured.
First, you have the pH, which refers to the acid-base balance of the blood. Then there's the PaO2, or partial pressure of oxygen. This refers to the amount of oxygen that is in arterial blood. Then you have the PaCO2, which is the partial pressure of carbon dioxide. This refers to the amount of carbon dioxide that is in arterial blood. Next, you have bicarb or bicarbonate, which is HCO3. This is a base that refers to the total amount of CO2 that is transported in the blood. And last but not least, you have the SpO2, or oxygen saturation. This refers to the amount of hemoglobin in the blood that is saturated with oxygen.
So, now let's talk about their normal value ranges. The normal pH is 7.35 to 7.45. The normal PaCO2 is 35 to 45 millimeters of mercury. The normal PaO2 is 80 to 100 millimeters of mercury. The normal bicarb is 22 to 26 milliequivalents per liter, and the normal base excess is -2 to +2.
Next up, we have the normal lab values. These values are also very important when it comes to making an informed clinical decision as a respiratory therapist. The normal hemoglobin is 12 to 16 grams per deciliter. The normal hematocrit is 40 to 50%. Normal red blood cells are 4 to 6 million per milliliter. Normal white blood cells are 5,000 to 10,000 million per milliliter. Normal creatinine is 0.7 to 1.3 milligrams per deciliter. The normal BUN, or blood urea nitrogen, is 8 to 25 milligrams per deciliter. The normal prothrombin time is 11 to 15 seconds. Normal platelet count is 150,000 to 400,000 units. Normal troponin is less than 0.4 nanograms per milliliter, and the normal BNP, or brain natriuretic peptide, is less than 100 picograms per milliliter.
Next, we have the electrolyte normal values for sodium, chloride, and potassium. The normal range for sodium is 135 to 145 milliequivalents per liter. The normal range for chloride is 80 to 100 milliequivalents per liter, and the normal range for potassium is 3.5 to 4.5 milliequivalents per liter.
Next up is the ventilatory normal values. These are very important when it comes to initiating and managing patients who are receiving or in need of ventilatory support. First, we have the tidal volume, which should be greater than 5 milliliters per kilogram. The normal vital capacity should be between 65 and 75 milliliters per kilogram. The normal minute ventilation should be between 5 to 8 liters per minute. MAP, or mean airway pressure, should be between 5 to 10 centimeters of water pressure. The normal MIP, or maximum inspiratory pressure, should be greater than a negative 20 centimeters of water pressure. The normal MEP, or maximum expiratory pressure, should be greater than 40 centimeters of water pressure. The RSBI, or rapid shallow breathing index, should be less than 100. The dead space to tidal volume ratio should be less than 60%. The normal anatomic dead space should be 1 milliliter per pound of ideal body weight. So, if the patient weighs 150 pounds, they should have 150 milliliters of anatomic dead space. The normal cuff pressure should be 25 to 35 centimeters of water pressure. The normal value for capnography is 3 to 5%, and the normal value for intracranial pressure is 5 to 10 millimeters of mercury.
Next, we're going to talk about the hemodynamic monitoring normal values. First up is cardiac output, and the range should be 4 to 8 liters per minute. Then you have CVP, or central venous pressure, which is 2 to 6 millimeters of mercury. The normal cardiac index is 2 to 4 liters per minute per meter squared. The normal stroke volume is 50 through 100 milliliters per beat. The normal pulmonary artery pressure is 25 over 8 millimeters of mercury. The normal pulmonary vascular resistance is 200. The normal systemic vascular resistance is 1,400. The normal range for pulmonary capillary wedge pressure is 5 to 10 millimeters of mercury. The normal mean arterial pressure is 93 millimeters of mercury, and the normal urine output is 40 milliliters per hour.
Next up is the oxygenation normal values. These are all the values and ranges to look at if you want to assess the patient's oxygenation status. First up is the SpO2, which we talked about earlier, but it should be greater than 93%. Next, you have the PaO2 with a little 'a', which is the partial pressure of oxygen in the artery, which we talked about earlier, is 80 to 100 millimeters of mercury. Then you have the PAO2 with a big 'A', which stands for the partial pressure of oxygen in the alveoli. Now, this normal range is 95 to 100 millimeters of mercury when the patient is on room air. So, if they are receiving some type of supplemental oxygen, this normal value would be increased. Next, you have the PF ratio, or PaO2 to FiO2 ratio, and it should be greater than 380. The normal range for shunt, or Qs/Qt, is 3 to 5%. The normal CaO2, or arterial oxygen content, is 17 to 20 volume percent. The normal CvO2, or venous oxygen content, is 12 to 16 volume percent, and the normal arterial-venous oxygen content difference, or Ca-vO2, that normal range is 4 to 5 volume percent. The normal PETCO2, or partial pressure of end-tidal CO2, is 25 to 35 millimeters of mercury, and the normal oxygenation index should be less than 10.
Next, we have the PFT normal values, or pulmonary function testing. PFTs are tests that check the functionality of the lungs. In order to be able to interpret a patient's PFT results, you are going to need to know what's normal, right? Well, let's talk about that now. The normal FEV1 should be greater than 80% of the predicted value. The normal FEV1 to FVC ratio would be greater than or equal to 70%. The normal FVC, or forced vital capacity, should be greater than 80% of the predicted value. The normal SVC, or slow vital capacity, should also be greater than 80% of the predicted value. The normal range for airway resistance, or Raw, is 0.6 to 2.4 centimeters of water pressure per liter per second. The normal DLCO, or diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide, is 20 to 25. The normal peak expiratory flow rate is 10 liters per second, and the normal value for exhaled carbon monoxide should be less than 7 for non-smokers. So, if you have a patient with an exhaled carbon monoxide of, let's say, 13, if they claim that they are not a smoker, they are most likely lying to you, unless they've been sitting outside of a campfire, which is probably unlikely. But I digress. Let's get back to the normal values.
Which brings us to our last, but most certainly not least, the infant or neonatal normal values. So, the normal infant heart rate is 110 to 160 beats per minute. The normal infant respiratory rate is 30 to 60 breaths per minute. The normal infant oxygen saturation is greater than 90%. Normal infant blood pressure is 60 over 40 millimeters of mercury. Normal infant blood glucose is greater than 30 milligrams per deciliter. The normal gestational age of an infant is 40 weeks. The normal Apgar score should be 7 to 10. Normal infant birth weight should be greater than or equal to 3000 grams. The normal L/S ratio would be greater than or equal to 2 to 1, and the normal Silverman Anderson score is 0 to 1.
So, there you have it. We've just gone through all the normal values that you must know, not only for respiratory therapy school but for the board exams as well. Now, it's up to you to learn this information. I definitely recommend that you watch this video and go through the normal values several times until you learn them like the back of your hand. Your future self will thank you, especially once it's time to take the board exams.
We created a guide on our website that lists out all the normal values as a handy reference. It also has a downloadable PDF that you can get 100% for free. So, definitely check that out if you're interested. I'll put links down below in the description.
Thank you so much for watching all the way to the end. As always, if you thought this video was helpful, hit that like button to support the channel. And while you're here, you might as well go ahead and subscribe because we've got some more awesome videos that will be released soon, and you definitely don't want to miss them. That's it for this one. Thanks again for watching, and I will see you in the next video. And as always, breathe easy, my friend.
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