Shock and how to treat

[77 wolfpack]

When faced with a situation, analyze it first.

Here is a quick thread on shock but I’m also going to touch on a few other elements of an emergency situation because they are starting to happen more often.

- Complete a scene size up
- Take BSI (body substance isolation)precautions
- Perform initial assessments
- Maintain airway
- Assess breathing and ventilate
- Control bleeding
- Position the patient
- Calm and reassure the patient
- Keep the patient warm
- Elevate legs and treat for shock

1007

Treating for Shock

Shock (Hypo perfusion)--Shock is a condition that results from inadequate delivery of Oxygenated blood to body tissues and vital organs.

Three main components: Heart (pump), Vessels (veins arteries, and capillaries) and Fluid (blood)

1-- Shock can be caused by a failure of the heart to pump properly. Any condition which prevents blood from being delivered to the body tissue can lead to shock.
1006

2-- Shock can result from abnormal dilation of the blood vessels. This can be the result of an injury to the head and/or spine. This causes the nervous system to lose control of the blood vessels. When this occurs, the blood vessels can enlarge and blood pressure drops. In this situation blood can pool in the extremities and away from vital organs
1008


3-- Shock can result from anything which causes a significant loss of blood volume. Internal or external bleeding can deplete the volume of blood in the circulatory system and produce shock

1009


Recognizing the signs and symptoms of shock are crucial in treating a victim. Always suspect shock in both early and late stages

Early stage:
- Restlessness and anxiety
- Changes in mental status
- Rapid, weak pulse
Later stages
- Rapid, shallow respirations
- Pale, cool and moist skin
- Extreme thirst

-- So now we have gone over the signs and symptoms of Shock and addressed what shock is. Next we will look at treatment for shock.

1. Call additional EMS if the situation is needed after initial patient assessment is conducted
2. Maintain breathing and airway
3. Prevent any further blood loss
4. Keep the patient calm and reassure them.
5. Keep the patient warm to prevent loss of body heat. Use a blanket or whatever you may have available.
6. If no spinal injury, place the patient in the supine* position and elevate lower extremities.
7. Do not give them anything to eat or drink
8. Treat any other injuries at this time in order from highest threat to lowest. (I use the term “treat” as a loose terms since many don’t have a lot of medical training. Using direct pressure is normally safe for bleeding, and should be used before a tourniquet )

*The supine position means lying horizontally with the face and torso facing up, as opposed to the prone position, which is face down


This is my first Emergency First Aid thread. If there are/ is anything specific you all may want me to address please speak up. I am by no means a doctor, but I will post what I can. If you wish me to clarify anything I have talked about dealing with shock, please ask. I will do what I can.

My background is i am a Military Fire Fighter and i am rated as an EMR (Emergency Medical Responder) I have taken this information out of my EMR course from TotalforceVLC.golearnportal.org.

[sasquatch]

Excellent write up! Some very useful info.

[Souldat]

Yeah, this was a grate idea. I can't wait to see this flourish.

[77 wolfpack]

I am thinking i will put one out a week. I want to make sure i can research my material so i am not just putting out nonsense. I really need to do one on tourniquets because they can be more trouble than they are worth. Hollywood makes them look like they are a "go-to" thing, but they are a last resort.

[Souldat]

Oh, See that I did not know. That would be awesome. Let me know if you need anything. I'll be happy to do what I can to help.

[Survival_junkie]

I am thinking i will put one out a week. I want to make sure i can research my material so i am not just putting out nonsense. I really need to do one on tourniquets because they can be more trouble than they are worth. Hollywood makes them look like they are a "go-to" thing, but they are a last resort.

That I did know, but I still don't know enough about when and how to use one. I've heard that without proper medical training a tourniquet is almost always more trouble than it's worth. The one thing I do know is that you never remove it until you're at a hospital because dangerous toxins and clots can be suddenly released.

[sasquatch]

I am thinking i will put one out a week. I want to make sure i can research my material so i am not just putting out nonsense. I really need to do one on tourniquets because they can be more trouble than they are worth. Hollywood makes them look like they are a "go-to" thing, but they are a last resort.


Yep. Unless you can establish that a major artery has been compromised, it's best to use the "apply pressure" method to stop bleeding.
While learning to properly use a tourniquet it's crucial to also learn that there's a difference between the color and viscosity of Venous blood and Arterial blood.
Arterial blood is rich and bright red due to being laden with oxygen from the lungs.
Venous blood is dark in color and thinner because it's oxygen depleted and returning to the lungs to be oxygenated.
Some situations where a limb has been torn off or nearly torn off are obvious that a tourniquet should be used, while deep puncture and slash wounds are much harder to determine the course of treatment.
Tourniquet position and placement is also very important, I'll let 77wolfpack take it from there, he's much more experienced than I am.