Introduction
It is important to note that in the modern world, there are many threats to human life and health. They can be divided into technogenic, which includes natural disasters, and biological. Thus, they create a potential danger to human health as a result of direct exposure to an infectious agent or indirect exposure through environmental destruction. Hence, it is essential to examine the emergence of biological and technological dangers.
Pathophysiology of Types of Shock
It is important to note that shock is a state of hypoperfusion of organs with resulting cellular dysfunction and death. Hypovolemic shock can develop with severe bleeding, indomitable vomiting, diarrhea, and polyuria. The main pathogenetic components are hypovolemia, hypoxia, and pain (Bruyere, 2009).
The pathophysiology of cardiogenic shock indicates that its development is based on a sharp violation of the pumping function of the heart, for example, in myocardial infarction. The weight of the damaged myocardium plays an essential role in its development; it develops at 30-40% of damage or more (Bruyere, 2009, p. 23). However, shock can also develop with lesser myocardial damage, with a pronounced pain syndrome, or with the development of ventricular arrhythmias.
Moreover, obstructive shock develops in case of obstruction of cardiac activity by mechanical factors; for instance, accumulation of fluid in the pericardial cavity leads to violation of ventricular filling, that is, heart tamponade. The primary reason for the vascular or distributive shock is vasodilatation and pathological blood deposition. Vascular shocks include neurogenic, anaphylactic, and septic (Bruyere, 2009). Septic shock is a manifestation of acute systemic inflammation. Hence, the main elements in the pathogenesis of septic shock are generalized endothelial damage by bacterial toxins and inflammatory mediators and generalized vasodilation. Thus, there are common mechanisms in the pathogenesis of all types of shock (Bruyere, 2009). Meanwhile, each type of shock in its pathogenetic aspect has its own specific features, which are caused by the principal pathogenic connections triggered in its conditions.
Abnormal Heat
Periods of extreme heat are rare phenomena, varying in character and impact even within the same area. Ambient temperature conditions are one of the essential environmental influences on humans and cause a quantifiable proportion of the burden of morbidity and mortality. For example, a preliminary analysis of the 2003 heatwave period in France showed that this period caused 14,802 additional deaths (Shartova et al., 2018, 523). Similar estimates have been made in other countries, such as Spain and Italy, but the conclusions in these countries were different. Although the number of additional deaths during the heatwave period in Spain, according to unofficial data, was over 6,000, only 59 cases were caused by heat waves (Shartova et al., 2018, 523).
Therefore, the international literature demonstrates that heat causes increased cardiovascular and respiratory mortality by putting additional stress on an already stressed system. In fact, abnormal heat acts as a phenomenon that accelerates the course of disease in a person suffering from a chronic disease (Shartova et al., 2018). Consequently, heat wave increases the risks of individuals morbidity and mortality, making it necessary to prevent natural disasters.
Implementing medical warning systems for heat waves is one way to reduce the current mortality burden from extreme temperatures. These use weather forecasts to predict heat-related health effects (Shartova et al., 2018). The primary elements of such systems include identifying meteorological situations that adversely affect human health, monitoring weather forecasts, and implementing mechanisms to issue warnings (Shartova et al., 2018). This is the case when a meteorological situation is predicted that could adversely affect health. A heat stress indicator should be predicted 12 to 48 hours in advance to allow enough time to implement a plan for responding to the warning (Shartova et al., 2018, 525). Thus, the authorities can prevent the spread of heat stress and maintain mobile emergency stations on the streets. Additionally, a way to combat the negative effect of anomalous heat on the human body is to install air conditioners in public places.
Disaster Closet in the Emergency Department
It is essential to emphasize that an emergency closet in an emergency department a required element, as a medical professional can use it as a platform to respond quickly and help those in need. Accordingly, the disaster closet should be located in an accessible place in order not to complicate the possibility of accessing it in case of emergency. The contents of the disaster closet must include radio communication and protective equipment in case of leakage of harmful substances or other types of contamination (Noble et al., 2020). In addition, the disaster closet should contain portable ventilators, carriers, and various consumables to help those in need in absolute safety.
Moreover, all the contents of the disaster closet should be accompanied by documentation that regulates the methods and conditions of their use. Obviously, universal medicines such as painkillers should be placed in the disaster closet and clearly labeled (Noble et al., 2020). Furthermore, the disaster closet should not be locked, allowing access to members of the emergency response team. For the effective use of the disaster closet contents, it is necessary to conduct ongoing training related to various disciplines in the medical field (Noble et al., 2020). In addition, emergency response team members should practice working with the principal types of disasters, such as accidents, disease infections, chemical weapons, and abnormal weather conditions. Accordingly, this will contribute to saving the lives of individuals who may suffer in the event of an emergency.
The Pathophysiology of Burns
Burns are tissue damage caused by high temperatures, excessive exposure to sunlight or other forms of radiation, and contact with chemicals or electricity. Within hours of the incident, severe burns, regardless of origin, result in an uncontrolled inflammatory reaction in the body (McCance & Huether, 2018). Inflammatory and stress reactions are characterized by elevated levels of cytokines, chemokines, and acute-phase proteins. In addition, hypermetabolism is induced by prolonged sympathetic tone, which may persist after the acute phase.
The body’s first reaction after severe burn injury is comparable to the reaction due to many other inflammatory conditions caused by tissue loss, such as trauma or extensive surgery (McCance & Huether, 2018). This reaction assists at the beginning of tissue repair and general wound healing. However, in severe burns, the inflammatory cascade can increase manifold during treatment after initial resuscitation measures, for example, during surgery for burns or later infectious problems. When the inflammatory cascade escalates rapidly or is uncontrolled, it can damage tissues and lead to organ failure and death.
Moreover, there are different degrees of importance of burns, which have different effects and complications. First-degree burns are characterized by diffuse redness, swelling, and pronounced painfulness of the skin, a local increase in its temperature (McCance & Huether, 2018). The thermal agent causes intensive vasodilatation due to irritation of vascular nerves. After a few days, all manifestations disappear, leaving a brown pigmentation of the skin, and a typical example of a first-degree burn is a sunburn (McCance & Huether, 2018). Furthermore, with second-degree burns, blisters are formed at varying depths in the thickness of the epidermal layer, filled with a transparent serous fluid. Such bubbles contain cell-free serous fluid with high protein content.
However, healing occurs at the expense of epithelial regeneration. In third-stage burns, the skin is blister-covered in places, spotty, with spots of pale or dark color, occasionally even black. Nonviable tissues form a scab, which detaches from living tissues with the formation of a demarcation line (McCance & Huether, 2018). Moreover, during healing, coarse scars form on the site of the lesion. Besides, secondary bacterial infections of the skin are the potential complications of first-stage opiates (McCance & Huether, 2018). The problems that occur during the second stage of opioids are hypothermia, while the third stage of opioids can produce shock and excessive blood loss.
The Fever of Ebola
Ebola is an intense, suspected zoonotic disease of viral hemorrhagic fevers with the pronounced hemorrhagic syndrome. During the incubation period, the virus replicates in regional lymph nodes, spleen, and possibly other organs (Caleo et al., 2020). The virus has the unique ability to deactivate interferons. In addition, the transcription factor STAT1 triggers the synthesis of hundreds of stress factors known as interferon-induced genes in the nucleus. It is these that provide the antiviral immune response of the cells (Caleo et al., 2020). The Ebola virus blocks this process by the fact that its eVP24 protein binds to that part of the KPNA karyopherin transport protein, which is the nuclear localization signal sequence. Furthermore, the transport of other proteins, which carry the more common nuclear localization signal, is not altered by the infection of the virus.
In this way, the virus is allowed to multiply freely in the cells of the body. The acute beginning of the disease with fever coincides with the development of intense viremia with multi-organ dissemination of the pathogen. Cell and tissue damage of various organs is presumably caused by both the direct cytopathic effect of the virus and autoimmune reactions (Caleo et al., 2020). Thrombocytopenia and decreased blood protein content may be contributing factors in the development of hemorrhagic syndrome.
Simultaneously, during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, procedures were used to contain the fever outbreak. Thus, disease identification was carried out to eradicate the spread of the disease and protect health workers (Caleo et al., 2020). Measures were also taken to track patient contacts and isolate potential carriers of the infection. Meanwhile, rapid diagnosis was used for the treatment of Ebola. In addition, the vaccine effectively stopped the spread of Ebola in the general population.
Conclusion
In summary, there are various disasters to people’s lives and health. They vary depending on the occurrence method; accordingly, there are technological and natural disasters. Therefore, there is a need for an immediate reaction to prevent and stop them. Furthermore, epidemics and various kinds of shocks and surgeries that require qualified medical aid can occur. Thus, the study of the peculiarities of these problems and their consequences allows for an effective response to them.
References
Bruyere, H. J. (2009). 100 case studies in pathophysiology. Lippincott Williams&Wilkins.
Shartova, N., Shaposhnikov, D., Konstantinov, P., & Revich, B. (2018). Cardiovascular mortality during heat waves in temperate climate: An association with bioclimatic indices. International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 28(5), 522-534. Web.
Noble, J., Degesys, N. F., Kwan, E., Grom, E., Brown, C., Fahimi, J., & Raven, M. (2020). Emergency department preparation for COVID-19: Accelerated care units. Emergency Medicine Journal, 37(7), 402-406. Web.
McCance, K. L., & Huether, S. E. (2018). Pathophysiology-E-book: The biologic basis for disease in adults and children. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Caleo, G., Theocharaki, F., Lokuge, K., Weiss, H. A., Inamdar, L., Grandesso, F., & Di Tanna, G. L. (2020). Clinical and epidemiological performance of WHO Ebola case definitions: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 20(11), 1324-1338. Web.