Emergency: Shock - First Aid

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Emergency: Shock - First Aid
Emergency: Shock - First Aid

Video: Emergency: Shock - First Aid

Video: Emergency: Shock - First Aid
Video: How to Treat Shock - First Aid Training - St John Ambulance 2024, March
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Emergency: shock

In shock, the circulatory system progressively fails. The body is no longer adequately supplied with blood and oxygen, the result is an undersupply of all organs and ultimately a metabolic failure.

There are many possible causes (e.g. heavy bleeding after an accident, poisoning). What they all have in common is that shock is a life-threatening condition and, if left untreated, leads to death in a very short time.

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  • What are the possible causes of shock?
  • How is shock expressed?
  • How can I provide first aid?
  • Interesting facts to shock

What are the possible causes of shock?

The causes of shock symptoms are diverse, depending on which one differentiates between different forms, for example:

  • Cardiogenic shock: caused by heart failure. Heart disease leads to failure of the heart's pumping capacity (e.g. coronary heart disease, heart attack, chronic heart failure).
  • Hypovolemic shock or volume deficiency shock: caused by extreme loss of fluid. As a result, there is not enough blood volume in the blood vessels (e.g. heavy bleeding, severe burns over a large area, blunt trauma, multiple trauma)
  • Obstructive shock: caused by an acute blockage of a large blood vessel. As a result, the blood circulation can no longer be maintained (e.g. in the case of pulmonary embolism, pericardial tamponade, tension pneumothorax)
  • Distributive shock: Is caused by an uncontrolled widening of the blood vessels and the associated sharp drop in blood pressure. There are the sub-forms

    • Anaphylactic or allergic shock: A severe allergic reaction can cause a sharp drop in blood pressure and ultimately shock symptoms (e.g. allergic reaction to medication, insect bites, food).
    • Neurogenic shock: Serious injuries or acute diseases of the brain and spinal cord can lead to the failure of nerve-related blood pressure regulation and to an extreme drop in blood pressure.
    • Septic shock: In the case of blood poisoning, the blood pressure regulation can fail, resulting in shock symptoms.

How is shock expressed?

Typical signs of shock include:

  • Drop in blood pressure,
  • Fast heartbeat (tachycardia),
  • pale skin, cold sweat (exception: in the case of a special form of shock, the hyperdynamic septic shock, the skin is warm and reddened),
  • Impaired consciousness (confusion, abnormal sleepiness (somnolence), restlessness, nervousness),
  • later apathy and unconsciousness.

How can I provide first aid?

Shock is an acutely life-threatening condition; it is of great importance that the person concerned get professional help as soon as possible to treat the underlying cause.

As a first aider, you should therefore

  • immediately dial the emergency number 144,
  • follow the instructions of the emergency call center,
  • If necessary, take further first aid measures.

The first aid measures depend on the situation that may be related to the shock.

If the person is conscious, you can also do the following:

  • have a calming effect, make sure that the environment is as calm as possible,
  • Constantly check consciousness, breathing and feel the pulse.

Interesting facts to shock

In the medical sense, one speaks of shock when the cardiovascular system progressively fails. Due to various causes, there is a drop in blood pressure and insufficient supply of oxygen to the body. Colloquially, however, the word is also used in other (and not life-threatening) contexts.

A "psychological shock" is not a shock in the narrower medical sense

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  • Acute & post-traumatic stress reaction

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