The Cushing's triad of neurogenic shock is a combination of increased blood pressure also known as hypertension, slow heart rate which is also known as bradycardia and irregular respirations.
This triad of Cushing's is a late sign of increased intracranial pressure and can be a warning sign of a possible brain herniation.
In the triad of Cushing's a persons systolic blood pressure increases and the persons diastolic pressure might stay the same or decrease and result in a wider difference between the two.
And the heart rate slows down significantly which is called bradycardia and often slows down below 60 beats per minute.
And breathing patterns also become erratic, including Cheyne strokes respirations, which are alternating periods of deep, rapid breathing with periods of apnea.
Cushing's triad is a critical clinical sign in neurocritical care, which indicates a serious condition, which requires immediate medical attention and medical intervention.
It's also important to distinguish Cushing's triad from other conditions like spinal shock, which can also occur after a spinal cord injury.
The Cushing reflex is a physiological nervous system response to acute elevations of ICP, resulting in the Cushing triad of widened pulse pressure (increasing systolic, decreasing diastolic), bradycardia, and irregular respirations.
Cushing's triad can be remembered with the mnemonic "B-R-H": Bradycardia (slow heart rate), Respiratory irregularities (like Cheyne-Stokes breathing), and Hypertension (high blood pressure) with a widening pulse pressure.