Pulmonary artery catheterization in acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock: A review of contemporary literature

Abstract

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction patients, the most common cause of cardiogenic shock (CS), have acutely deteriorating hemodynamic status. The frequent use of vasopressor and inotropic pharmacologic interventions along with mechanical circulatory support (MCS) in these patients necessitates invasive hemodynamic monitoring. After the pivotal Evaluation Study of Congestive Heart Failure and Pulmonary Artery Catheterization Effectiveness trial failed to show a significant improvement in clinical outcomes in shock patients managed with a pulmonary artery catheter (PAC), the use of PAC has become less popular in clinical practice. In this review, we summarize currently available literature to summarize the indications, clinical relevance, and recommendations for use of PAC in the setting of AMI-CS.

Keywords: Acute myocardial infarction; Cardiogenic shock; Critical care cardiology; Hemodynamic monitoring; Interventional cardiology; Pulmonary artery catheter; Swan-ganz catheter.