What Is Cardiogenic Shock?
Cardiogenic (kar-dee-oh-JE-nik) shock is a state in which a weakened heart isn’t able to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. It is a medical emergency and is fatal if not treated right away. The most common cause of cardiogenic shock is damage to the heart muscle from a severe heart attack. Not everyone who has a heart attack develops cardiogenic shock. In fact, less than 10 percent of people who have a heart attack develop it. But when cardiogenic shock does occur, it’s very dangerous. For people who die from a heart attack in a hospital, cardiogenic shock is the most common cause.
Cardiogenic shock is a medical term used to describe a situation where the heart muscle is too weak to pump enough blood through the body to support the body’s needs. The most common reason that a person may develop cardiogenic shock is as a side effect of suffering a massive heart attack. Although not all heart attack victims suffer from cardiogenic shock, the majority of people who suffer from this shock are heart attack patients. In fact, cardiogenic shock is the leading reason for death after a heart attack. Blood carries oxygen to the various organs of the body. When the organs don’t receive enough blood, they also don’t receive enough oxygen. This lack of oxygen is what leads to real danger. Without sufficient oxygen, the organs in the body are damaged and this can eventually lead to organ failure. Prompt medical treatment is necessary to prevent long-term health problems or even death. The symptoms that someone may be experiencing cardiogenic shock are confusion, rapid breathing
Cardiogenic (kar-dee-oh-JE-nik) shock is a state in which a weakened heart is not able to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. It is a medical emergency and can be fatal if not treated right away. The most common cause of cardiogenic shock is damage to the heart muscle from a severe heart attack or other serious conditions like arrhythmias or disease of the heart valves. Not everyone who has a heart attack develops cardiogenic shock. In fact, less than 10 percent of people who have a heart attack develop it. But when cardiogenic shock does occur, it’s very dangerous. For people who die from a heart attack in a hospital, cardiogenic shock is the most common cause.
This term is given when the blood supply to tissues becomes compromised leading to the demands of the tissues not being met. As blood carries oxygen and nutrients, tissue damage can occur if these needs are not fulfilled. Why Does It Occur? Cardiogenic shock occurs as the blood is not being pumped out efficiently by the heart muscle. This is due to problems concerning the ventricles which are the lower chambers of the heart muscle responsible for pumping blood away from the heart. The heart muscle can become damaged in a number of ways including as a consequence of heart attack, arrhythmia, cardiomyopathies and problems with some of the valves. In the case of a myocardial infarction being the leading cause, the heart muscle is not performing effectively, and though the blood volume is not depleted, such as in bleeding after a trauma, it fails to reach tissues effectively. As tissues become oxygen depleted, cell death can occur, leading to further heart attack if the heart muscle become
