[The drug treatment of cardiogenic shock--our experience]

For the period 1970-1989 in the intensive care unit of the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, 178 patients with cardiogenic shock were treated and died. These patients were studied retrospectively. In all patients an acute myocardial infarction was proved clinically and post mortem. The patients were classified into two groups--group A--those treated during the period 1970-1975 and group B--those treated during the period 1985-1989. The analysis of the risk factors and the time of hospitalization since the onset of the clinical symptoms showed no differences between the two groups. In the therapeutic programme of group B new contemporary means and methods, such as dopamine, vasodilators and electrostimulation, were included. This accounts for the longer survival of the patients from this group (about 60% of the patients survived more than 24 h), which allows them a chance to overcome this fatal condition.