简介：Criticalcardiogenicshockremainsaproblemwithstaggeringmortality,withthebesthopeofsurvivaldependingontimelyandaggressiveintervention.Thisoftenrequirestheuseofextracorporealmechanicalsupportinadditiontovasoactivemedicationstomanagepatientsthroughtheirinitialinsult.Thedecisiontousesuchsupportmustbemadeearlyintheclinicalpresentation,andisbestdoneinamultidisciplinaryfashion.Inthisarticle,wereviewtheliteratureandprovideanalgorithmforthetreatmentofcardiogenicshock.

简介：Despitewidespreadawarenessanduseofscientificallyprovenlife-prolongingmedicalanddevice-basedtherapiesoverthelasttwodecades,heartfailureremainsaleadingcauseofmorbidity,mortality,andhealthcareexpenditureintheUnitedStates.Mechanicalcirculatorysupportwithacontinuous-flowleftventricularassistdevice(CF-LVAD),eitherasabridgetohearttransplantationorasdestinationtherapy,isanincreasinglyusedtreatmentmodalityforpatientswithadvancedheartfailuresyndromesthatworsendespitetheirreceivingstandardtherapies.CF-LVADsupportcreatesuniquehemodynamicalterationsthatmustbeunderstoodtoprovideappropriatecareforthesepatientsbeforeandafterimplantation.EchocardiographyisessentialintheevaluationofpatientswhoarebeingconsideredfororaremechanicallysupportedbyCF-LVADs.Hereweprovideafocusedclinicalreviewontheuseofechocardiographyintwomainaspectsoftheevaluationofthesepatients:(a)optimalpatientselectionforCF-LVADsupportand(b)followupassessmentofoptimalpumpfunction.