Distributive shock is a medical emergency where blood is not circulating effectively, leading to oxygen deprivation in tissues. It can be caused by neurogenic, anaphylactic, or septic shock and requires immediate treatment to prevent serious organ damage or death.
Distributive shock is a medical crisis in which a patient has a normal blood volume, but the blood is not circulating effectively, leading to oxygen deprivation in the patient’s tissues. If the patient is not treated, serious organ and tissue damage can develop and the condition can be fatal. This is a form of shock, a medical condition in which patients don’t get enough blood to meet their needs. Other examples include hypovolemic shock, in which patients lose large amounts of blood, and cardiogenic shock, in which the heart does not beat enough to circulate blood.
In distributive shock, blood vessels dilate too much, causing a drop in blood pressure. This makes it difficult to push blood throughout the circulatory system. Patients may also experience blood pooling, where blood descends to the lower parts of the body with the help of gravity and therefore cannot move. Tissues begin to show hypoxia and may turn grayish or blue. Cramping and pain may occur as the patient’s body tries to adjust to the inadequate oxygen.
Heart rate is usually normal, but inadequate for the patient’s needs. In some cases, the heart will start pumping harder to try to raise blood pressure and push blood where it needs to go. This can create considerable stress on the patient’s body. Treatment options may involve administering vasoconstrictors to tighten blood vessels, as well as treating the underlying cause of the shock with the goal of making the patient stable.
Some types of distributive shock include neurogenic, anaphylactic, and septic shock. In patients with the neurogenic form of this condition, lesions to the brain or spinal cord interfere with the function of blood vessels, causing them to relax. Open blood vessels lead to a drop in blood pressure, depriving the tissues of needed oxygen and nutrients. In patients with anaphylactic shock, an acute allergic reaction, a cascade of inflammation caused by histamine release, triggers vasodilation and leads to distributive shock. Patients with septic shock have a severe infection that causes blood vessels to widen, usually due to toxins released by bacteria.
If healthcare professionals identify distributional shock in a patient, they must act quickly to deliver treatment. This condition can be fatal, sometimes very quickly, and can also cause serious damage to the patient’s heart and other organs. Raising blood pressure to improve circulation is the first step, keeping the patient alive long enough for doctors to begin addressing the cause.
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