Cardiogenic shock is a dangerous condition that develops when the heart is unable to provide the body (including the brain and other vital organs) with the necessary amounts of oxygen-rich blood. It can be fatal when a lack of oxygen causes the organs to fail. Your blood pressure decreases, and your heart rate lowers when oxygen-rich blood is not getting to your brain and other essential organs. You can have symptoms like rapid breathing, sweating, and confusion. You may also lose consciousness. The leading cause of death in patients with heart attack is cardiogenic shock.
This condition is an emergency that has to be treated right away at a hospital
Cardiogenic shock symptoms include:
Rapid breathing
Severe shortness of breath
Bulging vein in the neck
Sudden, rapid heartbeat
Fever
Loss of consciousness
Weak pulse
Low blood pressure
Pale skin
Cold hands or feet
Urinating less than normal or not at all
The most frequent reason for cardiogenic shock is a heart attack. Less frequently, another heart condition or an issue in another part of the body can block blood flow into or out of the heart, resulting in cardiogenic shock.
The following conditions can also cause your heart to weaken and cause cardiogenic shock:
Heart failure
An abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia)
A blood clot that suddenly blocks a blood vessel in your lung (pulmonary embolism)
Trauma or injury to your chest
In rare conditions, some medicines may cause cardiogenic shock
There are some risk factors that may increase the chance of getting a cardiogenic shock. For example,
Age: 75 years old or older people have an increased risk for cardiogenic shock
Sex: this condition is more frequent in women than men
Heart and blood vessel disorders: such as heart failure and high blood pressure
Diabetes
Overweight
Some lung diseases
In addition to a physical examination in emergency settings, your cardiologist may request the following tests:
Blood pressure measurement: people in shock have extremely low blood pressure
Electrocardiogram
Chest X-ray
Blood tests
Echocardiogram
Cardiac catheterization
Cardiogenic shock’s main treatment goal is reducing the damage from lack of oxygen to the heart muscle and other organs.
Emergency treatment:
Oxygen therapy to help more oxygen reach the lungs, the heart, and the other organs.
Ventilators can protect the airway and provide extra oxygen.
Kidney dialysis can be used if the kidneys are damaged to filter waste out of the blood.
Intravenous fluids supply can maintain normal blood volume.
Medicines:
Medications to control low blood pressure (Ex: dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine)
Medications to improve the heart’s pumping function (Ex: dobutamine, dopamine, milrinone)
Medications to decrease or prevent blood clotting (Ex: aspirin, clopidogrel, tirofiban and eptifibatide, heparin)
Surgeries and other procedures:
To restore the blood flow through the heart, the following surgeries may be done:
Angioplasty and stenting
Balloon pump
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
Coronary artery bypass surgery
Surgery to repair an injury to your heart
Ventricular assist device
Heart transplant
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