Pathophysiology and Prognostic Factors in Cardiogenic Shock - CardShock Study

Cardiogenic shock (CS) is a life-threatening emergency situation with high hospital mortality up to 50%. Despite of better treatment strategies including early echocardiography, insertion of pulmonary artery catheter to optimize haemodynamic status, early revascularization therapy, and the use of intra-aortic balloon pump, the prognosis has remained poor and only 50% of patients are discharged alive from the hospital. Most commonly CS occurs after a massive ST-elevation myocardial infarction (AMI) - in 8% of AMIs. The importance of early clinical recognition of the developing CS is the crucial since over 2/3 of CS develop only after hospital admission. In addition, about 20% of the cardiogenic shock patients develop systemic inflammatory response syndrome resembling the clinical picture of septic shock. The clinical picture of CS ranges from florid shock to low-output state. The in-hospital length of stay and the costs of care are many times higher than in other shock or AMI patients

Despite the extreme clinical importance of CS, mostly descriptive parameters but not serial evaluation of biomarkers or clinical condition have been analysed. All in all, the scientific data are still very sparse.

Study design

European investigator initiated multicentre study. A minimum of 100 (up to 200) consecutive patients with cardiogenic shock will be recruited in the study. Standardized treatment protocols of the individual participating centres based on international guidelines on heart failure will be applied to every patient in the study. Coronary angiography with percutaneous coronary intervention, vasoactive and inotropic medication, pulmonary artery catheter and intra-aortic balloon pump are utilized when applicable. Echocardiographies and 14-lead ECG will be recorded. Demographic and clinical data as well as serial blood and urine samples (at up to 8 time points during CCU/ICU stay) are collected.

CardShock Registry The patients who are excluded from the study due to time from onset of shock longer than six hours are recorded to Registry (screening failure) log. These patients will form CardShock Registry which includes clinical data (including in-hospital mortality) but not study sampling nor post-discharge follow-up.