Symptoms & Signs
- Profuse sweating, moist skin
- Rapid breathing
- Rapid pulse
- Restlessness, agitation, confusion
- Skin that feels cool to the touch
- Pale skin color or blotchy (mottled) skin
- Weak (thready) pulse
- Decreased mental status
- Loss of ability to concentrate
- Loss of alertness
- Coma
Diagnosis & Tests
An examination will reveal:
- Low blood pressure (less than 90 systolic)
- Blood pressure may drop more than 10 points when you stand up after lying down (orthostatic hypotension)
- Weak (thready) pulse
To diagnose cardiogenic shock, a catheter (tube) may be placed in the pulmonary artery (right heart catheterization). Measurements often indicate that blood is backing up into the lungs and the heart is not pumping properly.
Tests include:
- Coronary angiography
- Echocardiogram
- Electrocardiogram
- Nuclear scans
Other tests may be recommended to determine why the heart is not functioning properly.
Laboratory tests include:
- Arterial blood gas
- Blood chemistry (chem-7, chem-20, electrolytes, cardiac enzymes)
- CBC
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Cardiogenic shock : Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
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Cardiogenic shock : Symptoms & Signs, Diagnosis & Tests
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Cardiogenic shock : Treatment
Review Date : 4/23/2009
Reviewed By : Alan Berger, MD, Assistant Professor, Divisions of Cardiology and Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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