Definition

Baron, quoting Moore [6], on the pathobiology of sepsis commented:

“Unfortunately for our campaign to eliminate the word “shock”…. and thus help to untangle the confusion between sepsis and trauma there is no other monosyllable that quite does the job. Still, we would be better off without the word, and our teaching would be clearer if we never used it, since such a departure would cause each surgeon or physician to specify causes and mechanisms rather than contenting himself with the diagnosis of “shock,” implying that all patients in such a state are essentially the same [6].“

‘Shock’ is a somewhat lazy shorthand to describe the state that results when circulatory insufficiency leads to inadequate tissue perfusion and thus delivery of oxygen to the tissues of the body [7].