Facts About Shock
- In the medical world, circulatory “shock” is a condition where the body is not receiving enough oxygen and nutrients
- Circulatory shock is a rare but life-threatening condition that requires fast and advanced treatment at the hospital
- There are many causes of shock, but the symptoms are very similar:
- Shock is life-threatening!
- You can help by providing emergency first aid and provide for hospitalisation as soon as possible
What is shock?
The word stock has different meanings depending on the context in which the word is used. In the medical world, “shock” is the same as “circulatory shock”. It indicates a life-threatening condition where the body does not receive sufficient amounts of oxygen or nutrition to function normally. Circulatory shock is therefore completely different from mental shock and has nothing to do with emotions. See also shock
Symptoms of shock
There are many reasons for shock. Although the causes of shock are different, the symptoms of shock are very similar. This is especially about:
- confusion, clarity, reduced awareness or unconsciousness
- fast pulse
- fast breathing
- cool, pale skin
- moist skin
How frequent is shock?
Shock is a rare condition. However, there are no reliable figures for how frequent shock is. Shock is more common in hospitalized patients than in the normal population.
What can I do?
Shock is an acute life-threatening condition with high mortality. The treatment is advanced and requires rapid hospitalization. The treatment will often take place in an intensive department.
Therefore, you can do nothing but provide emergency first aid and ensure that the patient is hospitalized as soon as possible.
Contact your own doctor
Treatment of shock can not be taken by the GP or by a medical doctor. You must therefore call 112 immediately.
Contact a doctor immediately
Call 112 immediately. From here, medical and ambulance assistance will be provided.
First aid on suspicion of shock
- The person must be laid down on his back. The legs raise higher than the head. Avoid moving the person unnecessarily
- Look for signs of shock as described above
- Keep the person warm so that it feels comfortable. Loosen tight clothes and cover them with a blanket
- Do not give them anything to drink
- If the person throws up or bleeds from the mouth and in case of lack of consciousness, the person must be placed on the side to avoid choking, see stable sideways
- Treat any damage such as bleeding or broken bones
- Call 112 or call emergency medical help
What can it be?
Most common reasons
The most common causes of shock are:
- severe infections (eg meningitis , blood poisoning )
- impaired cardiac function (eg by blood clot in the heart or heart rhythm disturbances )
- major bleeding ( bleeding stomach ulcers , traffic accidents, major bruises, knife sticks)
- big vomiting or thin stomach
Rarer causes
Rarer causes of shock are:
- major burns
- allergic reactions ( anaphylactic shock )
- heat stroke
- damage to the spinal cord