Heart attack victims who suffer from an often-fatal side effect known as cardiogenic shock might be much more likely to survive thanks to a simple preventive measure discovered by a team of doctors, the Associated Press reported recently.
The doctors, a collective of cardiologists from five Detroit-area health systems, inserted a small pump into patients' hearts right before they were treated for heart attacks. Eighty percent of the 30 patients showing signs of cardiogenic shock survived.
In cardiogenic shock, the pumping function of the heart becomes severely depressed, which lowers blood pressure and deprives vital organs of blood. Approximately half of patients suffering from cardiogenic shock typically do not survive.
