PCCN Cardiogenic Shock

PCCN Cardiogenic Shock

Cardiogenic shock is a condition in which your heart suddenly can’t pump enough blood to meet your body’s needs. The condition is most often caused by a severe heart attack, but not everyone who has a heart attack has cardiogenic shock.

Cardiogenic shock is rare, but it’s often fatal if not treated immediately. If treated immediately, about half the people who develop the condition survive.

Signs and Symptoms

• Rapid breathing
• Severe shortness of breath
• Sudden, rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)
• Loss of consciousness
• Weak pulse
• Low blood pressure (hypotension)
• Sweating
• Pale skin
• Cold hands or feet
• Urinating less than normal or not at all

Causes

n most cases, a lack of oxygen to your heart, usually from a heart attack, damages its main pumping chamber (left ventricle). Without oxygen-rich blood circulating to that area of your heart, the heart muscle can weaken and go into cardiogenic shock.

Rarely, damage to your heart’s right ventricle, which sends blood to your lungs to receive oxygen, leads to cardiogenic shock.

Other possible causes of cardiogenic shock include:

• Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis)
• Infection of the heart valves (endocarditis)
• Weakened heart from any cause
• Drug overdoses or poisoning with substances that can affect your heart’s pumping ability

Risk Factors

If you have a heart attack, your risk of developing cardiogenic shock increases if you:

• Are older
• History of heart failure or heart attack
• Coronary artery disease in several of your heart’s main arteries
• Have diabetes or high blood pressure
• Are female

Complications

If not treated immediately, cardiogenic shock can be fatal. Another serious complication is damage to your liver, kidneys or other organs from lack of oxygen, which can be permanent.

Treatment

Cardiogenic shock treatment focuses on minimizing the damage from lack of oxygen to your heart muscle and other organs.