Mechanical circulatory support in cardiogenic shock: it is not just a matter of device

Abstract

Cardiogenic shock after acute myocardial infarction (CS-AMI) occurs in up to 10% of all acute myocardial infarctions and, despite the advancement of coronary reperfusion therapies and the development of multiple mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices, is still associated with a 30-day mortality rate of 40%. 1 Absence of adequately powered randomized controlled trials, 2,3 conflicting retrospective studies, 4 and promising results coming from recent protocol-driven prospective studies dominate the landscape of MCS on CS-AMI patients. 5