Introduction to shock Shock is defined as a clinicopathologi | International surgical boards

Introduction to shock

Shock is defined as a clinicopathological syndrome caused by Inadequate tissue perfusion.

The state of hypoperfusion creates imbalance between oxygen and substrate delivary and their demands by tissues, the eventual result is cellular injury.

Cellular injury itself incite an inflammatory response which furthur worsens the state of hypoperfusion via their structural and functional effect on the microvasculature which will be discussed into more details in the upcoming posts.

For this reason a vicious circle is created in which hypoperfusion causes cellular injury and that itself leads to more hypoperfusion with the end result of lethal irreversible cell damage.

Therefore the aspects of management will focus on recognition of clinical shock and timely intervention to avoid irreversible organ damage, clinical shock is usually defined as mean arterial blood pressure of less than 60 mmHg in a previously normotensive person.