Management of Hemorrhagic Shock for pre-hospital providers

Conclusion

Hemorrhagic shock is much more than bleeding with a low blood pressure. It is a dynamic and fluid process in which a human being is actively dying. EMS providers must be acutely aware of and innately understand that each action they take in the resuscitation of the patient can have a profoundly negative effect on the patient further downstream in the spectrum of care, such as in the operating room or intensive care unit, and may even precipitate the patient's demise. Survival of the patients in hemorrhagic shock depends on getting them the right medicine at the right time.