Wilderness and Rescue Medicine 8th Edition

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Section II: Critical Body Systems

Chapter 4 Review: The Circulatory System

• The circulatory system is one of the three critical body systems. The basic components include the blood volume, the blood vessels, and the heart. • The primary function of the system is to circulate blood under pressure adequate to perfuse all body tissues. • The major problem that can develop in the system is inadequate perfusion pressure caused by low blood volume, inadequate blood vessel constriction, or inadequate heart function. This is called volume shock, vascular shock, or cardiogenic shock respectively. • Shock should be suspected or anticipated with mechanisms including severe bleeding, dehydration, systemic infection, anaphylaxis, or heart attack. • Volume shock is recognized by a mechanism of injury and a characteristic pattern of vital sign changes while other forms of shock can have a more variable presentation. • Shock that cannot be fixed in the field is an emergency.