Case 9 Flashcards
what is shock
a condition associated with circulatory collapse, when the arterial BP is too low to maintain adequate supply of blood to the tissues
what are the signs of shock
- cold, sweaty skin (hypovolemic shock)
- warm, flushed skin (septic shock)
- weak and rapid pulse
- irregular breathing
- decreased level of consciousness
reasons for shock
- decrease in volume of blood (hypovolemic shock)
- circulatory shock and Haemorrhagic shock fall under category of hypovolemic shock
- by reduced activity of the heart (cardiogenic shock) as in MI and PE
- Due to widespread dilation of blood vessels so there is insufficient blood to fill them. result of severe septic shock
- by a severe allergic reaction (anaphylactic shock)
- emotional shock due to a personal tragedy or as a result to the spinal cord
what is shock characterised by
systemic hypotension as a result of reduced cardiac output or because of reduced effective circulation blood volume
what are the three stages of shock
- a non-progressive stage
- a progressive stage
- an irreversible stage
what is the non progressive stage of shock
- normal circulatory compensatory mechanisms eventually cause full recovery without help.
- neurohumoral mechanisms help to maintain cardiac output and blood pressure which results in tachycardia, peripheral vasoconstriction
- cutaneous vasoconstriction is responsible for patients coolness and pallor of skin
what is the progressive stage of shock
without therapy the shock worsens until death
- widespread tissue hypoxia, resulting in anaerobic glycolysis and subsequent build up of lactic acid
-
this leads to ‘metabolic acidosis’ which causes dilation of the articles and subsequent pooling of blood in the microcirculation
- widespread tissue hypoxia eventually leads to organ failure
what is the irreversible stage of shock
- the shock has progressed to an extent where therapy is inadequate to save the person’s life
- lysosomal enzyme leakage results in widespread cell injury
- nitric oxide released worsens myocardial contractile function
- schema of the bowel may cause intestinal flora to enter circulation and cause septic shock
- at this stage the patient has complete renal shutdown and this leads to death
what exacerbates the state of shock
electrolyte disturbances and metabolic acidosis
diagram from inadequate perfusion to cell death
what is hypovolemia
diminished blood volume
what is the most common type of shock
hypovolemic shock
what is hypovolemic shock caused by
insufficient circulating blood volume - haemorrhage
how does haemorrhage affect the cardiac output
haemorrhage decreased the filling pressure of the circulation and as a consequence, decreases the venous return.
as a result the cardiac output decreases
what does the decrease in arterial pressure do
simulates sympathetic reflexes that result in:
- arteriole constriction - increase total peripheral resistance
- venous contraction - increases systemic filling pressure
- increase in heart activity
what are sympathetic reflexes essential for
survival during blood loss
relationship between sympathetic reflexes, arterial pressure and cardiac output
the sympathetic relaxes maintain the arterial pressure at a higher level for longer tha. the cardiac output.
the arterial pressure in minted by increasing th TPR which has no effect on the cardiac output
the venous contstrition prevents the decrease in venous return and cardiac output from falling too low by still maintaining arterial pressure
what does the plateau in the graph a result go
central nervous system ischaemic respone, this provides extreme stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system
what happens to the coronary and cerebral circulatory systems
they dont undergo vasoconstriction
progressive shock
- exceeding the critical threshold causes shock to become progressive and can lead to death
- the shock itself causes more shock and turns into a vicious circle that eventually leads to deterioration of the circulation
what is non-progressive shock
shock that is not severe enough to cause its own progression
therefore shock of this degree is called non-progressive shock, meaning that the sympathetic reflexes and other factors (humeral) compensate enough to prevent further deterioration of the circulation
what is circulatory shock
inadequate blood flow thought the body and reduced cardiac output
what two factors can severely reduce the cardiac output
- abnormalities that decrease the ability of the heart to pump blood
- factors that decrease venous return
what can the CO be normal yet the person is in circulatory shock
this can be a result of excessive metabolic rate and abnormal tissue perfusion patterns, so most of the cardiac output is passing through the blood vessels besides those that supply the local tissues with nutrition