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Cardiogenic shock - first aid.

Such a pathological and dangerous condition as cardiogenic shock can be easily confused with an ordinary attack of arterial hypotension (low blood pressure) or a hypotonic crisis, which makes first aid care for cardiogenic shock ineffective and, what is most unpleasant and dangerous, creates the preconditions for delay and loss of precious time. And this can be fatal for a person with such a serious health problem.

In order not to tempt fate, you should know several typical signs of cardiogenic shock, and, accordingly, they should be able to provide first aid to a person before the arrival of an ambulance (ATTENTION - resuscitation ambulance).

Signs of cardiogenic shock:

Decrease in blood pressure (sharp, unexpected decrease) - blood pressure begins to fall within a short period of time - thirty minutes, and can reach the top mark of 90 mm Hg. column (90 mm on any other pressure measuring devices) and lower, or the upper mark drops within half an hour by a difference of 30 mm compared to normal (everyday) pressure.
Dizziness and / or headache, which usually accompany a sharp drop in pressure.
Decreased heart rate and threadlike pulse (for a layman, it can hardly be felt).
Shortness of breath and / or coughing fits (this symptom is associated with impaired respiratory function, since pulmonary function suffers with cardiogenic shock).
Coldness of the extremities (arms, legs, skin of the face).
Cold sweat appearing on the skin (forehead, neck, limbs, the whole body - if a person was sweating before the moment when he began to develop cardiogenic shock, then a sign is increased, excessive moisture of the skin in a short period of time for no obvious reason (literally “ threw "into a sweat).
Blanching of the skin in the face, limbs (cyanosis (blue discoloration) of the lips, nose tip, nasolabial triangle, fingertips).
Lethargy and / or lethargy in human behavior, up to impaired consciousness (fainting).

These basic features are added in various ways:

A decrease in the volume of urine excreted (oligoturia) - a person cannot really urinate, since kidney function suffers with cardiogenic shock.
Swelling of the veins in the neck is a circulatory disorder.
Pain in the right hypochondrium.

What needs to be done to provide first aid for cardiogenic shock:

Urgently call an ambulance, as you may need a full resuscitation,
Give the person a position when the head is much lower than the limbs, that is, in the supine position with raised legs, give the head, if possible, a position below the level of the body (head down) for blood flow to the head and heart, since at the time of the development of cardiogenic shock it is cardiac activity decreases so much that internal organs, including the brain, lungs, kidneys, liver, begin to experience a sharp lack of blood supply, which causes various signs of cardiogenic shock along with a sharp decrease in blood pressure.
Take nitroglycerin - in case of acute left ventricular failure, it improves blood microcirculation and relaxes the venous vessels, facilitating the evacuation of blood from the heart to the arterial vessels.
Measure periodically blood pressure until the arrival of an ambulance and try to raise its level with available means, for example, taking medications with the effect of raising blood pressure (for example, Dopamine, which enhances the work of the heart without increasing the heart rate). At the time of taking drugs to stimulate heart activity and blood pressure, it is necessary to monitor the pressure so that instead of decreasing it begins to rise - above 90 mm and further - this is already a positive result from first aid.
If a person is prescribed heparin-based blood thinning drugs, be sure to take such a drug to increase the fluidity of the blood. If blood thinners are not prescribed, take Aspirin for prophylaxis or heparin-containing blood thinners.

You need to know the following about cardiogenic shock: this condition often develops against the background of diseases such as heart failure, myocardial infarction, left ventricular heart failure, various impaired renal function. And it is precisely such conditions that often cause the development of cardiogenic shock, in which the cardiac activity (heart rate) drops (decreases) so much that along with it the internal blood pressure in the main vessels throughout the body falls, and the internal organs simply stop receiving a sufficient amount of blood, which causes disruptions in activity not only in the heart, but also disrupts brain activity, respiration and urination function. Therefore, the main condition for successful first aid in cardiogenic shock is to restore the pressure level by any available means, that is, to stimulate the heartbeat.