User:Mr. Ibrahem/Neurogenic shock

Neurogenic shock is a type of shock due to spinal cord injury. Symptoms may include low blood pressure, low heart rate, warm skin, and abnormal body temperature. It starts at the time of injury and may last for 4 to 12 weeks. Complications can include organ dysfunction.

The cause is generally a spinal cord injury above the fourth thoracic vertebrae. Other causes may include spinal anesthesia, Guillain-Barre syndrome, autonomic nervous system toxins, transverse myelitis, and other neuropathies. The underlying mechanism involves loss of sympathetic tone. It is a type of distributive shock. Diagnosis is based on symptoms and medical imaging after ruling out other possible cases. It differs from spinal shock, which refers to loss of sensation, reflexes, and motor function, though may be associated with neurogenic shock.

The initial treatment is generally with intravenous fluids and C-spine motion restriction. If this is not sufficient norepinephrine is often used to keep the mean arterial pressure greater than 90 mmHg. The slow heart rate may be treated with atropine. Surgery may be required to stabilize the spine. Neurogenic shock is relatively uncommon. It occurs in about 19% of cervical and 7% of thoracic spinal cord injuries.