What happens to hemoglobin levels when a person is in shock as in after an accident?
To answer your question specifically, hemoglobin levels would NOT drop immediately. That is because the measurement of hemoglobin is a CONCENTRATION. Lets say you have ten grains of sand mixed equally in ten drops of water. You have a concentration of 1 sand grain/drop of water. If you lose 5 drops of water, you also lose 5 drops of sand. Your concentration remaining is still 1 sand grain/drop of water. Whether or not you are in shock has nothing to do with this. That just means that your organs are not receiving enough oxygen. Your hemoglobin will eventually drop when your body pulls extra fluid into the vascular space. Now you have the same amount of “sand grains” but more drops of water, lowering the concentration of hemoglobin.
