[Red Flags and Shock Symptoms]

Red Flags and Shock Symptoms Abstract. The term 'red flags' is often used in emergency medicine. However, there is no clear medical definition in German for 'red flag'. In most cases, 'red flags' are warning symptoms that indicate a potentially harmful threat to a patient's health. This article wants to explain and define the term 'red flags'. Red flags are explained in emergency medicine and especially in shock in the context of their basic pathophysiological causes. The aim is to improve the understanding of the timely recognition and the exact interpretation of these warning symptoms in the preclinical environment, in order to immediately start a sufficient therapy.