MEDICAL BIOLOGY, HUMAN ANATOMY, PHYSIOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY - Ya.I. Fedoniuk 2010

ANATOMY, PHYSIOLOGY, PATHOLOGY

SECTION 1. ORGAN. ORGAN SYSTEM. ORGANISM

GENERAL BODY RESPONSES TO INJURY

3. COLLAPSE

Collapse is an acute vascular insufficiency characterized by a sharp decrease in vascular tone and (or) a reduction in the volume of circulating Blood. It manifests as a dramatic drop in arterial and venous blood pressure, transient loss of consciousness, signs of cerebral Hypoxia, and suppression of vital Functions. The Pathogenesis of collapse is based on the mismatch between the volume of circulating fluid and the capacity of the vascular bed. The causes can include either a sudden decrease in blood volume (blood loss, dehydration) or a sudden dilation of the vascular bed—vasomotor collapse resulting from increased vagal tone, endocrine disorders, or orthostatic dysregulation.

Collapse should be differentiated from Shock, which is often a challenging task. A key guideline here is the presence and progression of cellular and tissue Metabolic Disorders in shock. Collapse is characterized solely by transient hemodynamic disturbances that resolve spontaneously, although in some cases they may be complicated by the onset of shock.