Cardiogenic Shock and Temporary Mechanical Circulatory Support

Cardiogenic shock is a state of circulatory collapse due to low cardiac output resulting from heart failure. Heart failure in this setting may be due to left, right, or biventricular dysfunction. Acute myocardial infarctions remain the most common cause of cardiogenic shock, although in contemporary patient populations, the increasing prevalence of end-stage heart failure has resulted in a growing population of heart failure cardiogenic shock presentations. Clinicians practicing in the cardiac intensive care unit are challenged with these increasingly complex patients. Such patients often require hemodynamic support to improve end-organ perfusion and reduce mortality. Mechanical devices, collectively known as temporary mechanical circulatory support, provide clinicians with additional tools in our armamentarium to combat the increased mortality associated with cardiogenic shock. In this article, we provide an overview of cardiogenic shock and its phenotypic clinical presentations, in addition to providing a description of temporary mechanical circulatory support devices that are currently utilized in the management of cardiogenic shock.