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Emergency Medicine & First Aid vocabulary · Trauma and Injuries

Shock

Meaning in emergency medicine & first aid, with examples

/ʃɑːk/nounCore term

In emergency medicine & first aid, shock means: A life-threatening condition in which not enough blood and oxygen reach the body's organs, for example after heavy bleeding, a severe infection or a serious allergic reaction.

In Turkish: şok, dolaşım yetmezliği

How it is used

In emergency work 'shock' means circulatory failure. Clinicians name the type: hypovolemic (from blood or fluid loss; UK hypovolaemic), septic, anaphylactic or cardiogenic. Typical signs are pale, cold, clammy skin and a fast pulse. A patient is 'in shock' or 'shocked'.

Example sentences

  1. He's pale, sweaty and his pulse is 130. I think he's going into shock.

  2. Blood loss from the pelvic fracture had put her in shock.

Common collocations

  • go into shock
  • signs of shock
  • hypovolemic shock
  • in shock
  • treat for shock
  • bleedingThe loss of blood from a damaged blood vessel, either out of the body through a wound or inside the body where it cannot be seen.
  • hemorrhageThe medical word for bleeding, especially heavy bleeding, either from a wound or inside the body.
  • anaphylaxisA severe, life-threatening allergic reaction that develops quickly and can affect breathing and circulation, triggered for example by foods, insect stings or medicines.
  • pulseThe regular beat of the heart that you can feel where an artery is close to the skin, such as at the wrist or the side of the neck.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Trauma and Injuries

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.