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Cardiogenic shock is life-threatening, but it is treatable. As you recover from cardiogenic shock, it is important to follow your treatment plan and adopt healthy lifestyle changes to prevent another event. You also may need follow-up treatment or support for implanted devices or complications of cardiogenic shock, including organ failure. If cardiogenic shock led to heart failure, your doctor may recommend a heart transplant.

Cardiogenic shock is life-threatening and requires rapid diagnosis and identification of the cause, and emergency medical treatment. Treatments include medicines, heart procedures, and medical devices to support or restore blood flow in the body and prevent organ damage. Because cardiogenic shock is a serious medical condition affecting multiple body organs, a team of medical specialists usually provides care. Some medical devices may be used temporarily to stabilize or support you until a permanent device can be implanted or until a heart transplant can be performed. For people who have severe organ damage and may not survive after cardiogenic shock, palliative care or hospice care may help them have a better quality of life with fewer symptoms.

Your doctor will check your medical history, perform a physical exam, and do tests and procedures to diagnose cardiogenic shock. Tests are usually done after you have been admitted to a hospital for a possible heart attack or symptoms of shock. If the reason for the shock is that the heart is not pumping strongly enough, then the diagnosis is cardiogenic shock.

Signs and symptoms of cardiogenic shock vary depending on how quickly and how low your blood pressure drops. Cardiogenic shock may start with mild symptoms, such as feeling confused or breathing rapidly, or a person may have no symptoms and then suddenly lose consciousness. Cardiogenic shock is a life-threatening emergency. Complications may include organ damage or organ failure.

You may have an increased risk of cardiogenic shock because of your age, any cardiovascular or other medical conditions you have, medical procedures, your race or ethnicity, and your sex.

Causes of cardiogenic shock include heart attack and other heart problems, problems outside of the heart, and medicines or procedures. A heart attack is the most common cause because it can damage the heart’s structure in different ways. Less often, a problem elsewhere in the body blocks blood flow coming into or out of the heart and leads to cardiogenic shock.