Hypovolemic shock is an emergency condition in which severe blood and fluid loss makes the heart unable to pump enough blood to the body. This type of shock can cause many organs to stop working.
Alternative Names
Shock - hypovolemic
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Losing about 1/5 or more of the normal amount of blood in your body causes hypovolemic shock.
Blood loss can be due to:
Bleeding from cuts
Bleeding from other injuries
Internal bleeding, such as in the gastrointestinal tract
The amount of circulating blood in your body may drop when you lose too many other body fluids, which can happen with:
Get immediate medical help. In the meantime, follow these steps:
Keep the person comfortable and warm (to avoid hypothermia).
Have the person lie flat with the feet lifted about 12 inches to increase circulation. However, if the person has a head, neck, back, or leg injury, do not change the person's position unless he or she is in immediate danger.
Do not give fluids by mouth.
If person is having an allergic reaction, treat the allergic reaction, if you know how.
If the person must be carried, try to keep him or her flat, with the head down and feet lifted. Stabilize the head and neck before moving a person with a suspected spinal injury.
The goal of hospital treatment is to replace blood and fluids. An intravenous (IV) line will be put into the person's arm to allow blood or blood products to be given.
Medicines such as dopamine, dobutamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine may be needed to increase blood pressure and the amount of blood pumped out of the heart (cardiac output).
Bleeding disorders(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Bleeding disorders are a group of conditions in which there is a problem with the body''s blood clotting process. These disorders can lead to heavy and prolonged bleeding after an injury. Reviewer: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 03/02/2009
Cholera (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that causes a large amount of watery diarrhea.Cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The bacteria releases a toxin that causes increased release of water in the intestines, which produces...Reviewer: George F. Longstreth, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, San Diego, CA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 02/21/2009
Dehydration (1 image)
Average Rating:
(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Dehydration means your body does not have as much water and fluids as it should. Dehydration can be caused by losing too much fluid, not drinking enough water or fluids, or both. Reviewer: Deirdre ODeirdre O?Reilly, MD, MPH, Neonatologist, Division of Newborn Medicine, Children?s Hospital Boston and Instructor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Review Provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 09/28/2007
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