What treatments are used for the management of cardiogenic shock?
What treatments are used for the management of cardiogenic shock?
Once you’ve received immediate emergency treatment, additional treatment depends on the cause of your cardiogenic shock.
- If you're having a heart attack: Angioplasty and possibly a stent placement to help blood get through a blood vessel with a buildup of plaque (cholesterol and fat).
- If there's a valve problem: Heart valve repair or replacement.
- If you have fluid around your heart: A procedure that uses a needle to remove excess fluid compressing your heart.
- If you have several blocked coronary arteries: Coronary artery bypass graft (open heart surgery) to help more blood get to your heart.
- If your heart remains too sick despite other treatments, you may require a machine that temporarily takes the workload from your heart and lungs (ECMO or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation). In addition to ECMO, placing a temporary pump in your aorta can help your heart pump more blood.
- If your heart function isn't expected to improve, your healthcare team may evaluate you for a left ventricular assist device (LVAD, a long-term device to support your heart) or a heart transplant.
Complications of the treatment
Many people who have a heart attack need angioplasty to open a blocked blood vessel. Complications from angioplasty are rare, but may include:
- Abnormal heart rhythm.
- Bleeding.
- Kidney injury.
- Injured blood vessel.
- Chest pain.
- Stroke.