Hello Princess3,
Simply put, each organ would shut down, due to anoxia, or lack of
oxygen, from blood loss. The cardiac system would try to conserve
blood, and constrict blood vessels... leading to kidney failure. A
build up of toxins from kidney failure leads to metabolic acidosis,
affecting lung function... it's quite a cascade, with one organ system
failure affecting another. I have gathered several resources that will
explain the effect of hemorrhagic shock on a patient. Please read each
site for further information!
"Shock - In shock the organs of the body do not get enough oxygen
and blood pressure for them to function normally. Shock can be caused
by many reasons. The 4 most common causes and their treatments are:
. Hypovolemic Shock-severe dehydration or massive blood loss
Treatment: intravenous fluids (IV) and/or blood transfusions
. Cardiogenic Shock-cardiac or heart failure
Treatment: medications or devices to improve heart function
. Septic Shock-severe infection resulting in organ failure
Treatment: intravenous fluids (IV) and medications to increase blood
pressure and treat the infection
. SIRS or Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome-can be caused by any
massive trauma to the body such as a car accident, severe infection,
or by some medical conditions such as pancreatitis
Treatment: intravenous fluids (IV) and medications to increase blood pressure
If shock cannot be reversed in a matter of days the body's organs will
start to shut down. This may lead to death."
http://www.sccm.org/patient_family_resources/support_brochures/critical_illness.asp
"Trauma (or any injury) results in tissue damage. Immediately
after traumatic injury, a pattern of local reactions and systemic
changes is launched. This reparative process involves almost all organ
systems.
The local response to trauma serves three goals: stop blood loss,
clear tissue debris, and restore normal biological function in the
affected area, with the use of scar tissue.
Limitation of blood loss. This begins with a brief constriction of the
blood vessels to reduce blood flow to the affected area. Meanwhile,
platelets are activated to form a clot or mesh of fibrin to block the
bleeding blood vessels. The platelets then release substances such as
histamine, serotonin, and cytokines, which activate the next stage of
healing, inflammation. "
http://www.lef.org/protocols/health_concerns/trauma_01.htm
"Background: Shock is a state in which adequate perfusion to sustain
the physiologic needs of organ tissues is not present. Many
conditions, including sepsis, blood loss, impaired autoregulation, and
loss of autonomic tone, may produce shock or shocklike states.
Pathophysiology: In hemorrhagic shock, blood loss exceeds the body's
ability to compensate and provide adequate tissue perfusion and
oxygenation. This frequently is due to trauma, but it may be caused by
spontaneous hemorrhage (eg, GI bleeding, childbirth), surgery, and
other causes.
Most frequently, clinical hemorrhagic shock is caused by an acute
bleeding episode with a discrete precipitating event. Less commonly,
hemorrhagic shock may be seen in chronic conditions with subacute
blood loss.
Physiologic compensation mechanisms for hemorrhage include initial
peripheral and mesenteric vasoconstriction to shunt blood to the
central circulation. This is then augmented by a progressive
tachycardia. Invasive monitoring may reveal an increased cardiac
index, increased oxygen delivery (ie, DO2), and increased oxygen
consumption (ie, VO2) by tissues. Lactate levels, the acid-base
status, and other markers also may provide useful indicators of
physiologic status. Age, medications, and comorbid factors all may
affect a patient's response to hemorrhagic shock.
Failure of compensatory mechanisms in hemorrhagic shock can lead to
death. Without intervention, a classic trimodal distribution of deaths
is seen in severe hemorrhagic shock. An initial peak of mortality
occurs within minutes of hemorrhage due to immediate exsanguination.
Another peak occurs after 1 to several hours due to progressive
decompensation. A third peak occurs days to weeks later due to sepsis
and organ failure."
http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic531.htm
"Acute subdural hemorrhage usually develops after severe head
trauma. Injuries that result in a subdural hemorrhage are typically
forceful enough to cause a temporary loss of consciousness
(concussion). Bleeding associated with a subdural hemorrhage occurs
slowly, because the damaged blood vessels are small veins. Usually, in
the minutes to hours after head injury, the person recovers from a
concussion and then gradually loses consciousness from subdural
bleeding. Other common symptoms include severe headache, weakness on
one side of the body, seizures and changes in vision or speech.
Chronic subdural hemorrhages produce more subtle symptoms, which may
continue for more than a month before the diagnosis is recognized.
These symptoms include:
* Mild headache
* Nausea or vomiting
* Change in personality
* Memory loss
* Loss of balance or difficulty walking
* Double vision
* Weakness, numbness or tingling in arms or legs
The symptoms caused by chronic subdural hemorrhage can mimic other
common conditions, including strokes and brain tumors. Occasionally,
the gradual memory loss and personality changes can be mistaken for
dementia. "
http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/9339/10112.html
"Shock results in the slowing of vital functions and in severe
cases, if untreated, in death. It may be caused by inadequate pumping
by the heart, by reduction of the blood volume due to dehydration or
to loss of blood or plasma, or by reduced blood pressure resulting
from dilation of the blood vessels. Inadequate pumping may occur as a
result of various kinds of heart disease. Blood loss may result from
injuries or from such internal conditions as bleeding ulcers. Burns
produce extensive plasma loss from blood vessels into the burned area;
crush injuries may result in loss of blood and plasma into the injured
tissues. Dilation of blood vessels may be caused by injury to the
nervous system, or by pain or emotional stress. Fainting fainting or
syncope (s?ng`k?p?), temporary loss of consciousness caused by an
insufficient supply of oxygen to the brain. It can be concurrent with
any serious disease or condition, such as heart failure, hypertension
(high blood pressure), arrhythmia , hemorrhage , injury to the brain
or other organs, or poisoning.
....is a form of shock brought about by a sudden reduction of the
blood supply to the brain. Symptoms of shock include weakness, pallor,
cold and moist skin, and thirst. The arterial blood pressure is
reduced, the pulse is weak and rapid, and the surface veins of the
limbs may collapse. Emergency aid for shock victims includes
maintaining a clear breathing passage, administering oxygen,
controlling bleeding, and keeping the patient warm and in a supine
position with legs elevated. Therapy may include blood or plasma
transfusion to restore the normal circulation, as well as treatment of
the underlying cause of shock."
http://columbia.thefreedictionary.com/shock
This article may be interesting to you :
http://www.medana.unibas.ch/eng/educ/blood.htm
Please ask for an Answer Clarification, before you rate, if any part
of this answer is unclear.
Regards, Crabcakes
Search Terms
=============
hemorrhagic shock
affect + body + hemorrhage + following trauma |
