Hypotension and Shock: Summary

00:01 So, in summary: • Remember that hypertension is a chronic condition of increased blood pressure, and it's often unnoticed by the patient. As I said in the last lecture, it's the silent killer. And chronic hypertension can damage the heart, the arteries; lead to heart attacks and strokes and kidney failure and so forth.

00:21 And there's lots of effective medicines for hypertension.

00:26 • However, what's important is that the opposite of hypertension can be equally life-threatening: hypotension. It's quite common, and often, it's something simple and straightforward.

00:38 For example, when somebody has a simple faint—you know, they see blood or they see something very upsetting—suddenly, the vagus nerve dilates the blood vessels. The peripheral resistance falls. The blood pressure falls, and the patient may faint. Well, that's not a serious illness, as long as the patient doesn't fall and break a bone. And usually, patients recover pretty quickly. However, that's a more benign form of hypotension.

01:03 • Severe hypotension, such as shock, occurs (as I have mentioned) through a number of serious illnesses. It is not only low blood pressure but very poor blood flow to critical organs. And many patients who go into shock don't survive, particularly if they don't get urgent care.