Cold water on a cut can cause BP to drop?

[ghurty]

My next door neigbor had to call ems yesterday because thier 16 year old son had collapsed. He was extemely diapharetic. BLS came and they transported him. Later that night he was released from the hospital. By neighbor told me that the doctor said that the reason why he collapsed was that he had a small cut on his wrist near a vein, and he had put cold water on it, and that caused his BP to drop. The mother wasnt exactly sure what the doctor was talking about.

I am just wodering if anyone ever heard of this/and what it is called. And if they can give me more information on this.

Thaknx

[chbare]

Ghurty, it sounds like vasovagal syncope.

Take care,

chbare.

[Acosell]

How small of a cut?

Maybe the kid just passes out at the sight of blood.

Edit: Oops, didn't see your post there chbare... Seeing blood or an injury has been known to lead to Vasovagal Syncope. You beat me to it

[JCicco345]

Out of curiousity, would the vasovagal be cause by the sight of the blood, or maybe from the cold water causing some vagus stimulation and causing him to become hypotensive and pass out ????

[Asysin2leads]

Sounds like a vasovagal reaction. He may be one of those people who have increased vagal tone, but usually it takes a little more than a little cold water on the wrist to induce it.

He was probably was panicking from seeing a relatively deep cut, was breathing fast, which caused vasoconstriction in the capillaries of the brain, and had a high heart rate, which may have dropped from the cold water. Sudden syncope with no underlying medical cause in a normally healthy young person with no cardiac history usually is a vasovagal reaction.

[hammerpcp]

Otherwise known as psychogenic syncope.