Exam 1 Review:  Chapter 19:  Vascular Pathologies

varicose veins - Any gnarled, enlarged veins close to the skin's surface; those most commonly affected are in the legs and feet where gravity resists venous return; some are only of cosmetic concern while other cause pain and discomfort and some may correlate with circulatory system disease.

syncope - A brief loss of consciousness caused by a temporary deficiency of oxygen in the brain; an episode of fainting.

shock - Any condition in which there is a failure of the circulatory system to maintain adequate blood flow (perfusion) to vital organs; commonly subdivided into conditions of (1) hypovolemic shock:  due to acute hemorrhage or other sudden fluid loss, e.g., from vomiting or diarrhea; (2) vascular shock:  loss of vasomotor tone from anaphylaxis, organic or psychogenic neural malfunction, meatbolic diseases, septicemia, toxins, etc.; and (3) cardiogenic shock:  loss of cardiac output due to heart failure; signs and symptoms include altered consciousness, weakness, thirst (caused by hypovolemia), pallor, tachycardia, increased respirations, sweating, nausea/vomiting, and decreased urinary output; patients suffering from shock are normally placed in a horizontal plane, usually with the head slightly lower than the feet, and oxygen is often supple; replacement therapy consists of transfusions of whole blood, plasma, artificial solutions called plasma substitutes, and physiological saline solutions administered to increase blood volume; in some circumstances, drugs that enhance vasoconstriction are also administered; occasionally, such as in patients in anaphylactic shock, antiiflammatory drugs such as glucocorticoids and antihistamines are administered.

compensated shock - Any mild episode of shock in which the body's homeostatic controls are limiting the immediate consequences to blood flow (perfusion) to vital organs; the change is characterized in the early stages by restlessness, increased pulse and increased respirations, and in the later stages by a weakened pulse with a decreased systolic and an increased diastolic pulse pressure.

decompensated shock - Any moderate to severe episode of shock in which the body's homeostatic controls are failing to limit the immediate consequences to blood flow (perfusion) to vital organs; the change is characterized a marked drop in blood pressure, a weak pulse and weak respirations, which may also be slow.

irreversible shock - Irreversible shock leads to death, regardless of the amount or type of medical treatment applied because the damage to tissues, including the mypcardium is so extensive that the patient is destined to die even if adequate blood volume is reestablished and blood pressure is elevated to its normal value; irreversible shock is characterized by decreasing function of the heart and progressive dilation of peripheral blood vessels.

hypertension - (1) Any abnormally elevated blood pressure; (2) Arterial disease in which chronic high blood pressure is the primary symptom; classified as "essential" or idiopathic when there is  no known cause or as a condition secondary to other primary diseases; it is a risk factor for the development of heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, stroke and kidney disease.

hypotension - Any abnormally lowered blood pressure.

aneurysm - A localized, pathological, blood-filled dilatation within the wall of a blood vessel or the heart caused by a disease or weakening of the vessel's wall; the physical signs may include the presence of a pulsating swelling and an associated swishing sound; these lesions may fail with sudden hemorrhage and subsequent infarct in the distal tissues which may be fatal.

Describe:

13. the three clinical forms of cardiovascular shock.

 

Clinical Form	Causes
hypovolemic shock	due to acute hemorrhage or other sudden fluid loss, e.g., from vomiting or diarrhea
vascular shock	loss of vasomotor tone from anaphylaxis, organic or psychogenic neural malfunction, meatbolic diseases, septicemia, toxins, etc.
cardiogenic shock	loss of cardiac output due to heart failure

All forms of shock exhibit similar signs and symptoms include altered consciousness, weakness, thirst (caused by hypovolemia), pallor, tachycardia, increased respirations, sweating, nausea/vomiting, and decreased urinary output; at their worst, all forms of shock can be fatal.