Vascular Shock (HB)

The most common cause of vascular shock is anaphylaxis–a severe allergic reaction. Other reasons include damage to the spinal cord, effects from toxins, or septic infection. The problem is that the arteries lose muscle tone, and the capillaries dilate.

A patient in vascular shock will likely have other signs and symptoms based on the mechanism. One of the signs that differ from volume shock is that the skin might be red and flushed–the dilated capillaries allow greater surface flow of blood. The signs could be masked by the symptoms of anaphylaxis, though, so it is not the only sign.

If the cause is anaphylaxis, epinephrine can reverse the vascular shock, which we will go into more detail about in a later section. If the cause is from spinal cord injury, other toxins, or infection, the patient will need to be rapidly evacuated to a hospital.