Evidence for Mechanical Circulatory Support in Cardiogenic Shock

In a seminal case series published in 1967, Killip and Kimball reported 81% in-hospital mortality for patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock (AMI-CS). Since then, incremental gains have been made in improving survival with in-hospital mortality, now approximately 40% in a North American health care setting. These improvements have been predicated on the development of systems of care emphasizing routine emergent reperfusion in AMI-CS combined with the establishment of multidisciplinary shock teams and the downstream implementation of longer-term advanced heart failure therapies.