What were the vital signs of Deborah Saunders, the patient suffering from influenza?

The vital signs indicating a stable but elevated temperature for Deborah Saunders, who is suffering from influenza, align with the typical physiological response seen during respiratory infections. Influenza often leads to fever as the body mounts an immune response to fight off the viral infection. An elevated temperature indicates that the body is working to combat the illness, which is a common symptom when experiencing influenza.

In this case, stating that the vital signs are stable emphasizes that while there is an elevated temperature, other vital signs like heart rate and blood pressure are within expected ranges, indicating that the patient is not in acute distress. This combination of a stable condition along with an elevated temperature is crucial in understanding the typical presentations of viral infections like influenza.

Options that refer to high blood pressure, low heart rate, or normal temperature with an elevated heart rate do not reflect the expected clinical picture in a patient with influenza, where fever is a hallmark sign, and the heart rate may be increased as a compensatory mechanism rather than decreased. This makes the first option the most accurate representation of the situation.