How did you ever live without it? The Cornerstone CPR Blog! Your source for photos of CPR classes, and captions describing them.
Blog Post #1: What is shock?
Anaphylactic shock, hypovolemic shock, septic shock: Many medical emergencies are called a form of shock, but they don’t immediately seem to have much to do with each other. So just what is shock?
What all the types of shock named above have in common is a catastrophic decrease in blood flow to critical tissues. If oxygenated blood does not get to the tissues quickly enough, tissues start to die. If left untreated, organ failure and death are the result.
But how does shock result from such different causes as injury, allergic reaction, infection, etc.? This blog post will break it down for you.
Anaphylactic shock: An anaphylactic reaction is, briefly, an allergic reaction. Most people are familiar with swelling as a result of an allergy. A kid with a bee sting gets a swollen welt where he got stung. Someone with a bad reaction to ACE inhibitors (a class of blood pressure medicines) exhibits facial swelling. The swelling is owing to dilation of blood vessels–that means the blood vessels get larger in diameter. The healthy body regulates how much blood should go to which tissues at which times and works to maintain normal blood pressure. But if a person is strongly allergic to some substance, histamines could cause blood vessel dilation all over the body, all at once. The body does not suddenly have correspondingly more blood to pump; the result is a loss in blood pressure.
Hypovolemic shock: This is a medical term meaning, “low volume”. In hypovolemic shock, a person has been gravely injured and has sustained significant blood loss. For obvious reasons, this causes a drop in blood pressure. Think of what would happen if you cut a long slit into a garden hose: there would be much less pressure at the nozzle. This is what the medical people mean when they say an injured person is “going into shock”. In many cases.
Septic shock: Septic shock is caused by a bad infection. When bacteria die, they release toxins that can break down cell membranes; if the infection is in the blood, these toxins can break down the membranes of the cells that build the blood vessels. The blood vessels become perforated, and the liquid component of the blood–the plasma–seeps into neighboring tissue. We again experience a loss of blood volume and a corresponding drop in blood pressure.
Obstructive shock: There can be cases where an obstruction is making it impossible for the heart to pump blood as freely as it has to in order to maintain healthy blood pressure. Or an obstruction is blocking one of the great arteries. In cardiac tamponade, fluid builds up in the sac that encases the heart, essentially squashing the heart inside its own sheathing. In pulmonary embolism, a thrombus (blood clot) gets stuck in one of the arteries leading oxygenated blood away from the lungs. A heart attack may also, understandably, lead to shock. There are many other possible causes of obstructive shock. In all of them, a blockage significantly reduces the body’s ability to get oxygen to tissues (and take waste materials away).
Signs and symptoms of shock include sweating, fast breathing, and anxiety. Don’t underestimate the extent of a person’s injuries: they might be bleeding internally. If someone has been injured, and suddenly seems not just in pain, but also fearful, this may be a sign of shock.
These are just a few causes and types of shock, but all of them have decreased blood flow to critical tissues in common, and all are medical emergencies. Placing a patient in the “shock position”–flat on back, legs elevated–may have a modest positive impact on the patient. Stopping any bleeding, or administering epinephrine to an allergic patient is crucial, wherever possible. Covering the patient in blankets to help keep body temperature at normal levels is also important. But in the end, the most important interventions for shock patients have to be done at the hospital. Call 911 as soon as possible if you suspect someone is going into shock.
Heartsaver CPR class with AED and First Aid, conducted for the employees of Tools, Inc.
Employees of Tools, Inc., obviously excited to be able to save lives.
Employees of Tools, Inc., watch Heartsaver video materials.
Will sparring with a CPR student at a boxing gym. The smart money’s on Will’s opponent.
A CPR class given for the Order of the Eastern Star, a Masonic women’s group.
The youngsters are aware that they are being photographed. The adults are so utterly engrossed in the American Heart Association’s training materials that they have not noticed the man with the smartphone.
The dog is just glad to be here, frankly.
Students watch a video showing how to give CPR.
The dog is taking things as they come.
At this CPR class, three children were among the students. Children can learn how to give CPR and First Aid as soon as they are able to understand the instructions and follow the directions.
Two of the youngsters, posing for a photo.
In this video, one student gives respirations (mouth-to-mouth), while another student gives chest compressions. Here, the student giving respirations is using a mask with a mouthpiece, which protects against the transmission of disease. In an emergency situation, sometimes using mouth-to-mouth will be unavoidable.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, learning mouth-to-mouth has been optional in CPR and First Aid classes offered by the American Heart Association.
Will, ensuring that there are no technological snafus to contend with. This photo and the following three photos are from a CPR class held at a daycare. This is why the participants especially needed instruction on CPR and first aid for children and infants.
Students get into position to learn how to perform CPR with an AED (automated external defibrillator). An AED detects heart activity and recommends shocking the heart if it finds electrical activity inadequate to pump blood (known as fibrillations). Giving CPR with an AED dramatically increases the likelihood that a patient in cardiac arrest will survive.
A student gives CPR to a CPR doll. CPR dolls are designed to give students feedback related to the correct rate and depth of chest compressions, so that those learning CPR for the first time can get a good feel for what they will have to do when they give CPR in reality.
The CPR doll is hooked up to a practice AED (automated external defibrillator).
Will to the left, assisting as a student performs the Heimlich manoeuvre on an infant-sized CPR mannequin. The Heimlich manoeuvre, which dislodges solid objects blocking the airway in a choking patient, is performed differently on an infant than on an adult or child.