The TandemHeart is a percutaneous ventricular assist device that has been approved to provide hemodynamic support in high-risk patients undergoing cardiac procedures, including percutaneous coronary interventions and aortic balloon valvuloplasty. Limited data exists for its role in stabilizing cardiogenic shock secondary to prosthetic valve dysfunction. In conclusion, we report the ...

We describe the case of a patient with ischemic cardiomyopathy who presented the first implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) shock approximately 5 months after implantation. Device interrogation surprisingly revealed the occurrence of 389 ventricular tachyarrhythmia episodes terminated by asymptomatic antitachycardia pacing (ATP) except for the episode requiring shock. The present case of ...

Background: Cardiac acute beriberi (Shoshin syndrome) is a rare disease that may lead to a fatal outcome if not treated specifically. Objectives: We report a case of Shoshin syndrome with an unusual presentation of cardiogenic shock and an electrocardiographic pattern of severe myocardial ischemia suggesting left main coronary artery obstruction. ...

INTRODUCTION: A relevant proportion of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction may develop cardiogenic shock after presentation, and the identification of these patients would be very important in order to improve their outcome. The aim of the current study was to identify, among patients in the BLITZ-1, the clinical predictors, ...

Tilarginine is L-N-monomethyl arginine (L-NMMA) or N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine HCL, a non-selective inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), which has been studied in the treatment of septic shock and cardiogenic shock complicating myocardial infarction. Despite strong evidence that excessive nitric oxide (NO) production plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of septic ...

In cardiac surgery extracorporeal life support systems (ECLS), also known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation systems (ECMO), are often placed in case of postcardiotomy shock, until the patient's myocardial pump function recovers. Patients under ECLS are typically intubated and immobilized. We present a 57-year-old man suffering from severe ischemic cardiomyopathy in ...

INTRODUCTION: Excessive use of adrenergic agents may result in stunned myocardium. CASES: We report the cases of two patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) complicated by cardiogenic shock secondary to triple-H therapy for cerebral vasospasm. Both patients had normal cardiac function on admission and no signs of acute myocardial infarction at ...

BACKGROUND: Transposition of the great arteries with intra-atrial baffle repair is among the congenital heart defects at highest risk of sudden death. Little is known about mechanisms of sudden death and the role of implantable cardioverter defibrillators. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a multicenter cohort study in patients with transposition ...

Diabetes and impaired fasting glucose (FG) were associated with worse outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI). Because the underlying mechanism is not entirely clear, 376 consecutive patients with ST-elevation MI who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) were investigated. Patients were divided into 3 groups based on FG ...

Cardiogenic shock remains unsolved problem in modern Cardiology. Despite some achievements, in-hospital mortality rate still varies between 52-70%. In era of new developments in the field of circulatory assist devices IABP still remains the main supportive method for patients with shock. The most powerful predictors of hospital survival among shock ...

Patients with myocardial infarction (MI) who have out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and cardiogenic shock have a high mortality rate. Although intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation is frequently used in patients with cardiogenic shock, it does not provide complete hemodynamic support. We report 2 cases in which extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was instituted emergently in ...

Cardiogenic shock complicates up to 7% of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarctions and 2.5% of non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarctions, with an associated mortality of 50% to 70%. Primary cardiac pump failure is followed by secondary vital organ hypoperfusion and subsequent activation of various cascade pathways, resulting in a downward spiral leading ...

The microcirculation is a complex system, which regulates the balance between oxygen demand and supply of parenchymal cells. In addition, the peripheral microcirculation has an important role in regulating the hemodynamics of the human body because it warrants arterial blood pressure as well as venous return to the heart. Novel ...

Severe anaesthetic anaphylaxis is relatively uncommon. Oxygen, fluids and epinephrine are considered to be the mainstay for treatment of cardiovascular collapse and current guidelines for the management of anaphylaxis list only epinephrine as a vasopressor to use in the event of a cardiovascular collapse. Recently, evidence has emerged in the ...

To fully characterize the mechanisms of defibrillation, it is necessary to understand the response, within the three-dimensional (3D) volume of the ventricles, to shocks given in diastole. Studies that have examined diastolic responses conducted measurements on the epicardium or on a transmural surface of the left ventricular (LV) wall only. ...

Methylene blue has been used for the rapid reversal of circulatory shock refractory to fluid administration, inotropic agents, and vasoconstrictors. Its clinical side effects have been well described. We report an interesting autopsy observation in patients who received methylene blue as adjunct therapy for septic shock. The exposed surface of ...

Transient left ventricular (LV) dysfunction syndrome, or Tako-tsubo syndrome, occurs following intense emotional or physical stress and simulates the clinical presentation of an acute myocardial infarction. We report a case of a 77-year-old man with esophageal adenocarcinoma with local invasion of the central airways who underwent rigid bronchoscopy for tumor ...

OBJECTIVE: Cardiogenic shock is the leading cause of death in patients hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction. The objectives were to investigate the effects of levosimendan, a novel inodilator, compared with the phosphodiesterase-III inhibitor enoximone in refractory cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction, on top of current therapy. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, ...

Shock is a final common pathway associated with regularly encountered emergencies including myocardial infarction, microbial sepsis, pulmonary embolism, significant trauma, and anaphylaxis. Shock results in impaired tissue perfusion, cellular hypoxia, and metabolic derangements that cause cellular injury. The clinical manifestations and prognosis of shock are largely dependent on the etiology ...

Acute myocardial infarction in patients with normal coronary arteries is a therapeutic dilemma. Coronary artery vasospasm and thrombosis are the most commonly encountered clinic problems and appear in localized coronary segments. The incidence of cardiovascular disease is increased in asthmatic patients. ß(2)-Adrenergic agonists use is associated with increased cardiovascular events. ...

INTRODUCTION: The optimum duration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) prior to first rescue shock is unknown. Clinical trials have used 90 and 180 s. Neither of these durations may be optimal. We sought to determine the optimum duration of CPR prior to first defibrillation attempt and whether this varied depending on ...

Early invasive treatments in patients with acute heart failure (AHF) are critical components to improve outcome. We aimed to establish if such treatments were applied according to existing guidelines and also to assess the subsequent mortality in the complete AHF population. All patients with AHF admitted to the intensive care ...

The authors investigated the incidence of critical limb ischemia (CLI) in 187 patients with intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) support during a 6-year study period and determined risk factors and long-term outcome (median 5 years) after discharge from a cardiac intensive care unit. Cardiogenic shock following acute myocardial infarction was the ...

Major lines of evidence suggest that classical (emotional and orthostatic) vasovagal syncope (VVS) is not a disease, but rather a manifestation of a non-pathological trait. It is, therefore, reasonable to investigate the possible factors that may explain its origin and evolution. We reviewed the data available in the literature on ...

Pheochromocytoma usually presents with hypertension but it may also be an unusual aetiology of cardiogenic shock in order to catecholamine induced myocardial dysfunction. We report the devastating course of a patient with tako-tsubo like apical cardiomyopathy during pheocytoma crisis who presented with classical transient left ventricular apical ballooning 6 months ...

AIM OF THE STUDY: The response of recurrent episodes of ventricular fibrillation (VF) to defibrillation shocks has not been systematically studied. We analyzed outcomes from countershocks delivered for VF during advanced life support (ALS) care of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. METHODS: Cohort of patients with prehospital cardiac arrest presenting ...

A recommendation against shocking asystole has been part of the American Heart Association's Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) Guidelines since 1992. The principal rationale offered then for the prohibition on shocking apparent asystole (PSAA) has since been refuted and has gradually been dropped, but the recommendation itself remains in the 2005 ...

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the actual incidence of global left ventricular hypokinesia in septic shock. METHOD: All mechanically ventilated patients treated for an episode of septic shock in our unit were studied by transesophageal echocardiography, at least once a day, during the first 3 days of hemodynamic support. In ...

Simultaneous double vessel acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is extremely rare and usually has poor clinical outcomes. Management of this complicated condition is challenging and time-limited. The case of a 46-year-old Taiwanese man with simultaneous anterior and inferior wall AMI is reported. Rapid deterioration of clinical condition with ventricular fibrillations (VF), ...

Although life-saving, a strong internal defibrillation shock may temporarily or permanently damage the heart via disruption of cell membranes (electroporation). Spatial extent of electroporation in intact, normal, or infarcted hearts has not been investigated. In this study, shock-induced electroporation in intact rabbit hearts with and without chronic (>4 weeks) left ...

An early diagnosis of sepsis prior to the onset of clinical decline is of particular interest to health practitioners because this information increases the possibilities for early and specific treatment of this life threatening condition. In comparison to acute myocardial infarction or ischemic stroke, the time to initiate therapy is ...

Septic cardiomyopathy is a well-described complication of severe sepsis and septic shock. However, the interplay of its underlying mechanisms remains enigmatic. Consequently, we constantly add to our pathophysiological understanding of septic cardiomyopathy. Various cardiosuppressive mediators have been discovered, as have multiple molecular mechanisms (alterations of myocardial calcium homeostasis, mitochondrial dysfunction, ...

Cardiogenic shock is the commonest cause of death in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Although the syndrome of cardiogenic shock complicating AMI is common to all, the spectrum of underlying pathology is broad. While thrombolysis can be attempted with inotropic support or augmentation of blood pressure with an intra-aortic balloon pump, ...

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to identify the incidence and outcome related to inappropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) shocks, that is, those for nonventricular arrhythmias. BACKGROUND: The MADIT (Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial) II showed that prophylactic ICD implantation improves survival in post-myocardial infarction patients with reduced ejection fraction. Inappropriate ICD shocks ...

BACKGROUND: The feasibility of left ventricular restoration for patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy complicated with cardiogenic shock remains unclear. We report early and mid-term outcomes of surgical interventions including left ventricular restoration for patients with cardiogenic shock. METHODS: From April 2001 to June 2007, 10 patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy who developed ...

Pheochromocytoma is a rare disorder and functioning tumor composed of chromaffin cells that secrete catecholamines. Patients with a pheochromocytoma 'crisis' have a high mortality in spite of aggressive therapy. We present a case with a severe acute catecholamine cardiomyopathy presenting ST segment elevation with cardiogenic shock after hemorrhage into a ...

Data on the use of levosimendan in patients with myocardial infarction related cardiogenic shock already under combined catecholamine treatment and intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation (IABP) are scarce. Seven consecutive patients with refractory cardiogenic shock after ST-elevation myocardial infarction, multi-organ dysfunction syndrome and under maximal intensive care (combined catecholamine treatment, IABP) were ...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to identify prognostic predictors for the patients experiencing cardiogenic shock who required the institution of intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation (IABP). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: Patients with cardiogenic shock were retrieved from the clinical information system in National Taiwan University Hospital and classified according to ...

Cardiogenic shock (CS) accompanying myocardial infarction carries a case fatality rate of 40-50%. Profound myocardial dysfunction is partially reversible, and possibly related to a state of inflammatory storm accompanied by nitric oxide (NO) overproduction. CS survivors enjoy satisfactory longevity and quality of life. The focus of this review is to ...

BACKGROUND: Rescue angioplasty (rPCI) for failed fibrinolysis is associated with a low mortality if successful, but a high mortality if it fails. The latter may reflect a high-risk group or harm in some patients. Predictors of success or failure of rPCI may aid selection of patients to be treated. METHODS: ...

Cardiogenic shock continues to be the most common cause of death in patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction. It has also been frequently associated with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and patients with co-morbidities. Cardiogenic shock presents with low systolic blood pressure and clinical signs of hypoperfusion. Rapid diagnosis and ...

Defibrillation shock is known to induce atrial stunning, which is electrical and mechanical dysfunction. We hypothesized that atrial stunning is caused by higher atrial susceptibility to electroporation vs ventricles. We also hypothesize that electroporation may be responsible for early recurrence of atrial fibrillation. We investigated electroporation induced by 10-ms epicardial ...

Comprehensive understanding of the ventricular response to shocks is the approach most likely to succeed in reducing defibrillation threshold. We propose a new theory of shock-induced arrhythmogenesis that unifies all known aspects of the response of the heart to monophasic (MS) and biphasic (BS) shocks. The central hypothesis is that ...

BACKGROUND: Tetralogy of Fallot is the most common form of congenital heart disease in implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) recipients, yet little is known about the value of ICDs in this patient population. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a multicenter cohort study in high-risk patients with Tetralogy of Fallot to determine actuarial ...

A strong internal defibrillation shock may damage the heart via disruption of cell membranes (electroporation). The spatial distribution and extent of electroporation were characterized in intact rabbit hearts with and without chronic (>4 weeks) left ventricular myocardial infarction (MI). An implantable defibrillator was inserted in the right ventricle, and one ...

Data on the use of levosimendan in patients with myocardial infarction related cardiogenic shock already under combined catecholamine treatment and intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation (IABP) are scarce. Seven consecutive patients with refractory cardiogenic shock after ST-elevation myocardial infarction, multi-organ dysfunction syndrome and under maximal intensive care (combined catecholamine treatment, IABP) were ...

Cardiogenic shock is the commonest cause of death in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Although the syndrome of cardiogenic shock complicating AMI is common to all, the spectrum of underlying pathology is broad. While thrombolysis can be attempted with inotropic support or augmentation of blood pressure with an intra-aortic balloon pump, ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Electrical defibrillation is very effective in interrupting atrial fibrillation (AF). However, its mechanism is not completely understood. We report our observations in patients subjected to external electriocardioversion (ECV) of atrial fibrillation and contrast them with recent theories about defibrillation mechanism. METHODS: In 13 consecutive patients transthoracic electrical ...

Cardiogenic shock in the setting of myocardial infarction continues to represent a high proportion of immediate mortality in this patient population, despite ongoing advances in thrombolytics, PCI, and medical management of AMI. We present a case of peri-MI cardiogenic shock necessitating deployment of a percutaneous ventricular assist device (pVAD). TEE ...

Defibrillation shocks are commonly used to terminate life-threatening arrhythmias. According to the excitation theory of defibrillation, such shocks are aimed at depolarizing the membranes of most cardiac cells, resulting in resynchronization of electrical activity in the heart. If shock-induced transmembrane potentials are large enough, they can cause transient tissue damage ...