El choque circulatorio, también llamado shock circulatorio, es un estado fisiológico en el que, en etapas iniciales, la perfusión (el intercambio gaseoso) de los tejidos es insuficiente para cubrir la demanda de oxígeno y nutrientes para la respiración aeróbica celular. Los síntomas típicos del choque circulatorio son: presión sanguínea baja (hipotensión), pulso rápido (taquicardia) y muestra de perfusión periférica pobre, evidenciada por descompensación o ausencia de funcionamiento de órganos periféricos (producción baja de orina, confusión o pérdida de conciencia). Este tipo de choque no está relacionado con la reacción de estrés agudo. El choque circulatorio es una emergencia médica y una de las causas más comunes de muerte en pacientes en estado crítico. Puede tener una gran variedad de efectos, todos ellos con desenlaces similares, pero en esencia todos relacionados con un problema del sistema circulatorio; por ejemplo, puede conducir a la hipoxemia (falta de oxígeno en la sangre arterial) y, por ende, al paro cardíaco. Otra de sus características es su mecanismo de progresión. Una vez que se inicia tiende a empeorar, por lo que es de suma importancia atenderlo inmediatamente para la supervivencia del paciente.

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Circulatory shock, commonly known as shock, is a life-threatening medical condition of low blood perfusion to tissues resulting in cellular injury and inadequate tissue function. The typical signs of shock are low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, signs of poor end-organ perfusion (i.e.: low urine output, confusion, or loss of consciousness), and weak pulses. The shock index (SI), defined as heart rate divided by systolic blood pressure, is an accurate diagnostic measure that is more useful than hypotension and tachycardia in isolation. Under normal conditions, a number between 0.5 and 0.8 is typically seen. Should that number increase, so does suspicion of an underlying state of shock. Blood pressure alone may not be a reliable sign for shock, as there are times when a person is in circulatory shock but has a stable blood pressure. Circulatory shock is not related to the emotional state of shock. Circulatory shock is a life-threatening medical emergency and one of the most common causes of death for critically ill people. Shock can have a variety of effects, all with similar outcomes, but all relate to a problem with the body's circulatory system. For example, shock may lead to hypoxemia (a lack of oxygen in arterial blood) or cardiac and/or respiratory arrest. One of the key dangers of shock is that it progresses by a positive feedback mechanism. Poor blood supply leads to cellular damage, which results in an inflammatory response to increase blood flow to the affected area. This is normally very useful to match up supply with tissue demand for nutrients. However, if enough tissue causes this, it will deprive vital nutrients from other parts of the body. Additionally, the ability of the circulatory system to meet this increase in demand causes saturation. A major result of which is that other parts of the body begin to respond in a similar way, thus exacerbating the problem. Due to these chain of events, immediate treatment of shock is critical to survival.

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