Topic overview

Start with the big picture

The lesson organizes shock into hypovolemic, cardiogenic, septic, neurogenic, anaphylactic, and obstructive forms. It contrasts reduced circulating volume or pump output with loss of vascular tone, inflammatory vascular injury, and physical obstruction to cardiac filling or output. Across these forms, inadequate tissue perfusion drives anaerobic glycolysis, lactic acidosis, ATP depletion, and cellular injury. The progression from compensatory responses to worsening hypoxia and potentially irreversible organ failure provides a framework for understanding the syndrome. The topic also introduces endothelial and microcirculatory derangements and relates shock mechanisms to characteristic organ changes and laboratory or prognostic markers.