The patient's pale skin is likely due to peripheral vasoconstriction. Option A is the correct answer.
When a patient is in shock, the body initiates a compensatory response to maintain blood pressure and perfusion to vital organs. One of these responses is peripheral vasoconstriction, where the blood vessels in the skin constrict to redirect blood flow to essential organs such as the heart and brain. This vasoconstriction reduces blood flow to the skin, leading to pallor or pale skin appearance.
Peripheral vasodilation, on the other hand, would result in the opposite effect, causing the blood vessels in the skin to dilate and resulting in flushing or redness.
An increased heart rate, although a common response in shock, would not directly cause pale skin.
Hypothermia refers to abnormally low body temperature and is not directly related to the patient's pale skin in this context.
Therefore, the correct answer is option A: peripheral vasoconstriction.
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