Shock after heart attack can be effectively treated

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A new study suggests that the outlook can be good for patients treated aggressively for shock occuring after a heart attack.
Around one patient in ten goes into a state called cardiogenic shock after a heart attack. The heart malfunctions and there is oxygen deprivation to vital organs. Sixty per cent of these patients do not survive. But a team at New York University School of Medicine now says that more can be done to help these patients.

They say that quick treatment with angioplasty or heart bypass can be lifesaving. Their study shows that 33 per cent of those treated like this are alive six years on, compared to only 20 per cent of those treated with medication alone. The survival benefit of aggressive treatment can last for up to 11 years and it extends even to selected patients over the age of 75. These findings should reassure doctors who may be reluctant to treat very sick patients whose death rate is high with an aggressive regime.

There is also a reluctance to tranfer these patients to specialist facilities but this may be worthwhile if they can get lifesaving treatment. According to this study, only 60 per cent of shock patients aged under 75 got aggressive treament and only 38 per cent were transferred to a specialist facility. But one year after treatment, 47 per cent of those treated invasively were alive, compared to only 34 per cent of those who were not.Therefore, it is worth doing more to treat those who have shock following a heart attack.

Source
Journal of the American Medical Association 7th June 2006