Tag: shock and resuscitation
- Blood Pressure And Shock ()
Call after call, we search the patient for the obvious or unexpected in an attempt to save the lives of those we treat. Sometimes our observations set the stage for a patient’s remarkable recovery. Other times, the rest of the medical community ridicules our observations. The patient lies on your stretcher awaiting your care. But […]
- Septic Shock ()
Sepsis syndromes span a clinical continuum with variable prognoses. Septic shock, the most severe complication of sepsis, carries high mortality. In response to an inciting agent, pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory arms of the immune system are activated in concert with the activation of monocytes, macrophages, and neutrophils that interact with the endothelium through pathogen recognition receptors […]
- Spinal Shock ()
Introduction Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a common injury occurring in the United States with an incidence of approximately 54 per million persons per year. According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, approximately 280,000 living survivors of traumatic SCI were reported in the United States in 2017. The prevalence of nontraumatic SCI is […]
- How Shock Patients Die: Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome ()
Introduction Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is an acute, diffuse, inflammatory form of lung injury and life-threatening condition in seriously ill patients, characterized by poor oxygenation, pulmonary infiltrates, and acute onset. On a microscopic level, the disorder is associated with capillary endothelial injury and diffuse alveolar damage. ARDS is an acute disorder that starts within […]
- Do Not Resuscitate ()
End-of-Life discussions or advance care planning (ACP) with family and primary care providers can be challenging, but they are necessary to maintain patient autonomy and reach a well-informed decision. Studies have shown that less than 30% of survey participants have an advance directive. Most individuals with advance directives share similar characteristics: chronic illness, regular access […]
- How Shock Patients Die: Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation ()
Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) can be defined as a widespread hypercoagulable state that can lead to both microvascular and macrovascular clotting and compromised blood flow, ultimately resulting in multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. As this process begins consuming clotting factors and platelets in a positive feedback loop, hemorrhage can ensue, which may be the presenting symptom […]
- Shock ()
Shock is a life-threatening manifestation of circulatory failure. Circulatory shock leads to cellular and tissue hypoxia resulting in cellular death and dysfunction of vital organs. Effects of shock are reversible in the early stages, and a delay in diagnosis and/or timely initiation of treatment can lead to irreversible changes, including multiorgan failure (MOF) and death. […]
- Dying Doesn’t Always Come Easy ()
With Hypoxia, The Cell Goes To Plan B Hypoxia is a physiological cue that impacts diverse physiological processes, including energy metabolism, autophagy, cell motility, angiogenesis, and erythropoiesis. One of the key cell-autonomous effects of hypoxia is as a modulator of cell proliferation. For most cell types, hypoxia induces decreased cell proliferation, since an increased number […]
- How People Die: Obstructive Shock ()
Less Going In Means Less Going Out The pipe is under constant pressure, but what happens to the water when a big chunk of ice forms and blocks the pipe? The incoming flow will be obstructed, limited the amount of water the pipes will deliver. The same thing happens when an obstruction occurs in the […]
- Pediatric Shock ()
The only way to defeat pediatric shock is to stay in front of it The mechanism of injury can provide useful clues to finding shock in pediatric patients before it is too late. If the patient lost any blood, possibly ruptured a hollow organ, or became dehydrated after being locked in a hot car for […]