Free BCEN Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) Practice Question

The presenting signs of rapid heart rate, low blood pressure, cool extremities, and delayed capillary refill are indicative of hypovolemic shock, a condition caused by a significant loss of blood or fluid volume. This type of shock is differentiated from distributive shock by the presence of cool extremities and delayed capillary refill, which are more consistent with poor perfusion due to decreased circulating volume rather than vasodilation seen in distributive types, such as septic or anaphylactic shock. In distributive shock, extremities might be warm and capillary refill can be normal or rapid due to vasodilation.