Hypovolemic shock

Hypovolemic shock is life-threatening circulatory failure caused by severe loss of blood or other body fluids. Reduced circulating volume impairs tissue perfusion and oxygen delivery.

Preload: The stretch of the heart muscle before contraction, shaped partly by ventricular filling. Reduced venous return lowers cardiac filling and preload during volume loss.
Circulating blood volume: The amount of blood moving through the heart and blood vessels. A decline in effective circulating volume is the central disturbance in this shock.
Advanced Trauma Life Support: A structured approach to the initial assessment and treatment of injured patients. Its primary survey guides rapid recognition and stabilization of traumatic blood loss.
Cardiogenic shock: Shock caused by the heart’s inability to pump enough blood to meet tissue needs. Here the primary failure is inadequate volume; cardiogenic shock begins with pump dysfunction.
Gastrointestinal bleeding: Bleeding anywhere in the digestive tract, from the esophagus to the rectum. Substantial internal blood loss can cause shock without visible external wounds.
Cardiac output: The volume of blood the heart pumps per minute. Falling stroke volume can reduce cardiac output despite a faster heart rate.
Hemorrhage: The escape of blood from the circulatory system, internally or externally. Blood loss is a major cause and can be hidden inside the body.
Hemorrhage control: Measures that stop or limit bleeding from an injured blood vessel or organ. Stopping ongoing blood loss is essential before resuscitation can succeed.
Distributive shock: Shock caused by abnormal vasodilation and blood-flow distribution, often with relative hypovolemia. Its vascular tone failure differs from the absolute volume loss central to this condition.
Ectopic pregnancy: A pregnancy implanted outside the uterine cavity, most often in a fallopian tube. Rupture can cause rapid, concealed intra-abdominal hemorrhage.

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