Shock is a life-threatening drop in blood flow to the body's organs — it can follow major injury, blood loss, severe allergic reaction, or dehydration, and it can kill even after the initial injury is controlled.
Watch for: pale, cool, clammy skin; rapid weak pulse; rapid shallow breathing; confusion or restlessness; nausea; extreme thirst.
Field response:
- Address the cause first — stop any active bleeding, since shock from blood loss won't improve until the bleeding does.
- Lay the person down and elevate the legs about 12 inches, unless a leg injury, spinal injury, or breathing difficulty makes that unsafe.
- Keep them warm — shock impairs the body's ability to regulate temperature. Insulate from the ground, not just from the air.
- Do not give food or water to someone showing signs of shock — risk of vomiting and aspiration if their condition deteriorates or surgery is later needed.
- Keep monitoring breathing and responsiveness and get them to professional medical care as fast as possible — shock is a "the clock is running" emergency, not a wait-and-see one.