A state of moderate severity is ... Severity, criteria, classifiers, a scale for determining

A state of moderate severity is a condition of the patient in which, due to the development of a certain disease or pathological condition, there is a clear consciousness or moderate stunning. Vital functions in the body in a moderate state are disrupted slightly.

The severity of the condition of a sick person is determined depending on the nature of the severity of decompensation of the most important life functions. In accordance with this, specialists decide on the urgency of implementation and the necessary amount of diagnostic and therapeutic measures, indications for hospitalization are established along with transportability and the estimated outcome of the disease.

Is a moderate condition dangerous?

General condition - classification

In medical practice, specialists distinguish several gradations of the patient's condition:

1. Satisfactory condition - observed when the functions of the organs are relatively compensated. As a rule, the general condition of the patient remains satisfactory in the initial forms of the course of the disease.
2. A state of moderate severity is a state when the pathological process leads to decompensation of the functioning of organs important for vital activity, but does not pose a significant danger to human life.
3. A serious condition is considered in cases when the decompensation of the functioning of organs important for life that arose as a result of a disease poses a serious danger to the patient or can lead to profound disability.
4. An extremely serious condition is considered one in which there are sharp violations of vital functions in the body, against which the patient can die within a few minutes or hours without urgent and intensive therapeutic measures.
5. In the terminal state, complete depression of consciousness is noted, the muscles of the person are relaxed, the reflexes are completely absent.
6. An extreme condition is clinical death.

Description of this condition

The state of moderate severity, as mentioned earlier, can be testified in cases where pathology leads to decompensation of the functioning of important vital organs, but there is no danger to the patient's life. A similar condition in patients is observed, as a rule, in diseases that are accompanied by pronounced subjective and objective manifestations. The patient may complain of intense pain of various localization, severe weakness, shortness of breath with moderate physical exertion, severe dizziness. Consciousness is clear, but in some cases it is stunned.

The nature of motor activity

The nature of motor activity in a moderate condition is limited movement. At the same time, the position of patients in bed is active or forced, but they are able to serve themselves independently. A variety of symptoms may occur in the form of severe fever with chills, widespread swelling of the subcutaneous tissue, bright jaundice, severe pallor, extensive hemorrhagic rashes, or moderate cyanosis.

In a patient with moderate severity, an increase in the number of cardiac contractions in a calm state can be noted - more than 100 contractions per minute, or, conversely, bradycardia with a number of heart contractions of less than 40 per minute is observed. In addition, the development of arrhythmia along with high blood pressure is possible.

Breathing process

The number of respiratory movements at rest, as a rule, is higher than twenty per minute, a change in bronchial patency may be observed. In addition, patients often have impaired airway patency. From the digestive system, the development of some signs of local peritonitis is possible along with repeated vomiting, severe diarrhea, the presence of moderate bleeding in the intestines or stomach.

Patients in a moderate state of health, as a rule, require emergency care or are prescribed hospitalization, since there is a high probability of rapid progression of the disease and the development of serious life complications. For example, if a hypertensive crisis occurs, myocardial infarction may occur along with acute left ventricular failure or stroke.

What does the state of moderate severity mean, not everyone knows.

Patient assessment, criteria

In medical practice, it is very important to assess the condition of the patient. So, the consciousness in patients can be clear or darkened. The patient may be agitated, indifferent, or euphoric in a good mood. When assessing the patient’s condition and well-being, stupid consciousness is often characterized by detachment, while the patient is unable to adequately perceive what is happening around him. In addition, there is a violation of orientation in time and space, in the self, incoherence of thinking with partial or complete amnesia can also be noted.

Main criteria

The main criteria for assessing the condition should be indicators such as:

• the presence of consciousness in the patient;
• blood pressure indicators;
• number of heart contractions;
• blood oxygen saturation.

Depressed state of health

This symptom in the diagnosis of moderate severity in a person is characterized by the fact that he retains the possibility of normal functioning of mental activity to an extremely small extent. In this case, the patient can lie still or perform automatic reflex movements. He does not show any signs of adequate activity, they do not show initiative, do not react to what is happening around and to people around.

However, with sudden impacts, be it bright light or noise, such patients can be taken out of this state for a while with the appearance of a certain reaction. For example, such a patient may open his eyes and look at the source of irritation. It is also possible to perform a certain movement, for example, a short answer to a question. Even in moments of relative clarification, the patient’s nervous activity is automatic. As a rule, the whole reaction consists in a short-term awakening of attention without the ability to adequately perceive what is happening.

In conditions of moderate severity, reflex activity in patients is preserved, swallowing is not impaired, patients can independently roll over in bed.

Status Scale

In clinical medicine, a specific scale is used, according to which the patient's condition is determined - APACHE, applicable to adults. It provides for the application of general parameters in intensive care units and is intended to assess the most important physiological parameters.

At first, the APACHE scale previously contained 34 main parameters, and the results obtained on the first day were used to establish the physiological status in the acute phase of the disease. In 1985, the scale was revised (APACHE II) and only 12 main parameters remained in it that determine the main vital processes of the patient.

According to the scale, the total assessment of the general state of health and age cannot be higher than 71 points; in patients with a score of up to 30-34 points, the risk of death is significantly higher than in patients with a higher score.

The APACHE II scale contains three main blocks:

• assessment of physiological changes of an acute nature;
• patient age;
• assessment of chronic diseases.

To date, this classification is not always used, because often doctors need to know only the basic indicators of age, pressure, and functioning of the heart and brain to assess a person’s condition.

We considered that this is a moderate condition.