Reevaluation of the Treatment of Shock Secondary to Cardiac Infarction

¹ Cedars-Sinai Medical Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and the Department of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California

When given early vasopressor drugs can be an effective from of therapy for cardiogenic shock because they increase coronary blood flow, cardiac output and blood pressure. They vasodilate the coronary vascular bed and in 40 percent of the experiments, reduce total peripheral vascular resistance. The use of 3-hydroxytyramine and the vasopressor-vasodilator combination provide most effective coronary and regional perfusion to other vital organs. New mechanical circulatory assistance techniques applied to the treatment of irreversible cardiogenic shock promise that the high mortality rate associated with this dreaded complication will be reduced.