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Essay On Hypovolemic Shock

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Rebecca Blackburn
Instructor: J. T. Cash
EMT-Basic
3 November 2015

Hypovolemic Shock

Shock is described as a state of hypoperfusion of the organs and tissues, which will result in cellular dysfunction and cell death. There are many varieties of shock, but for the purpose of this essay I will focus on hypovolemic shock. The term hypovolemic means low volume, this term in and of itself tells us what the root cause of this form of shock is, low blood volume. There are two different types of hypovolemic shock, hemorrhagic and non hemorrhagic, I will be discussing the possible causes, signs, symptoms, and treatment options for the hemorrhagic type. I will also explain what health care providers in the field should be looking for to determine whether their patient is in a state of compensated shock, where their body is doing everything it can to maintain perfusion, or if the patient is de-compensating and the body 's attempts at maintaining perfusion are failing.
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Recognizing the signs and symptoms of hypovolemic shock early is vitally important! The first thing that emergency personnel should remember is that just because you can 't see bleeding does not mean it is not there. Hemorrhagic shock can be missed if the care provider is hyperfocused on symptoms like low blood pressure, which only becomes evident after the patient has already started de-compensating. A symptom that can be seen earlier on, while the patient is still in a compensated state is

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