Background: Cardiogenic shock is one of the most serious complications of the acute myocardial infarction. Advances in interventional cardiology and early reperfusion strategy improved its management.
Aim: Analysis of the clinical characteristics, management and prognostic evolution of patients admitted within 6 hours onset with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock.
Methods: Follow-up study based on 2200 consecutive patients admitted with STEMI within 6 hours of symptom onset from 1988 to 2008. Among them 114 matched the criteria of cardiogenic shock. These were divided in two groups, according to the period: group 1 (N=57, among the first 1100 STEMI from 1988 to 1998) and group 2 (N=57, among the following 1100 STEMI from 1999 to 2008).
Results: This trial shows a similar rate of cardiogenic shock in STEMI (5%) in both 1100 patients groups. There is no overall change in patient's clinical characteristics, but improvements in earlier management, prehospital fibrinolysis and ventricular fibrillation treatment have been detected. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention was the most common revascularisation strategy. The proportion of patients achieving acute TIMI-3 flow in the infarct related artery increased (61% vs 80%, p= 0.11) but the mortality was still high (74% vs 63%, p= 0.22).
Conclusion: The clinical characteristics of cardiogenic shock remain unchanged; its management is more successful with more often early reperfusion. The decline of mortality is unfortunately not significant. More aggressive treatment should probably be considered to improve outcomes.