Improving the Odds of Survival From Serious Heart Condition

New protocol for cardiogenic shock improves outcomes for patients

Cardiogenic shock — associated with a 50% mortality for nearly two decades — is a syndrome in which the failing heart can’t provide sufficient blood flow to the organs.

In January 2017, physicians at Inova Heart and Vascular Institute (IHVI) implemented a new protocol that has provided patients suffering from cardiogenic shock among the best outcomes in the country. Since its implementation, survival rates have risen from 47% to 74%. Results were recently published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. IHVI is the first hospital in the country to document this level of improvement in care for cardiogenic shock using this new care model. “Patients with cardiogenic shock are acutely ill, and without timely goal-directed intervention, they are at heightened risk for morbidity and mortality,” explains Behnam N. Tehrani, MD, Medical Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories at IHVI.

Using a multidisciplinary approach, IHVI rapidly addresses the complex interactions across multiple body systems to save lives. The protocol involves:

• Early recognition and identification of the shock state.
• Prompt use of cardiac diagnostic tools and interventions to keep blood flowing throughout the body and to support organ function.
• Long-term therapeutic interventions to support heart function.

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Surviving Cardiogenic Shock
Learn more about the new heart protocol.