Free BCEN Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) Practice Question

Neurogenic shock is characterized by hypotension with bradycardia. It occurs due to the loss of sympathetic tone and unopposed parasympathetic output after a spinal cord injury, leading to vasodilation and thus decreased cardiac output. Unlike other types of shock, the presence of bradycardia is distinctive because typically, shock presents with tachycardia where the body tries to compensate for low blood pressure by increasing the heart rate. Therefore, the presence of bradycardia in the setting of hypotension is a key indicator of neurogenic shock.