General note
You are on a subpage “Shock Diagnosis”. For general information on this topic, please refer to our Shock page. In order to determine a shock (diagnosis shock), a clinical examination is first of all necessary.
Here are: assessed. In case of a state of shock, blood pressure is low, pulse is rapid, skin color is usually pale, breathing is accelerated and urine is no longer produced. Furthermore, it can be asked at the diagnosis if the patient has known allergies, has taken toxic substances or had an accident.
- Responsiveness
- Blood pressure
- Pulse
- Breathing
- Skin color
- Temperatureand
- Excretion (via the kidneys)
Special examination
The evaluation of the color of the gums or a pressure test on the fingernail (after releasing it, it takes about 1 second until a rosy color is visible again in the healthy patient) already allow first assumptions about the blood circulation condition of the patient. These assumptions can now be supported by a blood test. Here one examines among other things:
- The hemoglobin content (hemoglobin is contained in red blood cells) of the blood
- The percentage of all blood cells (hematocrit)
- The coagulation factors (if there are too few, there may be internal bleeding) and
- The number of leukocytes that are greatly increased in a bacterial infection.
Device-supported diagnosis
The measurement of central venous pressure (CVD) allows the distinction between volume deficiency and cardiogenic shock. In the case of volume deficiency shock, it is lower, whereas in cardiogenic shock it is higher due to the backflow into the venous system. An ECG (electrocardiogram) provides information about the condition and function of the heart and is part of the basic diagnosis in case of suspected cardiogenic shock.
Similarly, in this suspected case, a right-heart catheter can be inserted to examine the pressure in the left atrium. In this case, a pressure sensor is inserted via the inguinal artery.
