Extracorporeal life support is 'bridge-to-life' for patients with sudden onset cardiogenic shock

(American Association for Thoracic Surgery) A report from researchers in Padua, Italy finds that patients who have an acute onset of cardiogenic shock, for example following a heart attack, and are placed on extracorporeal life support, fare better than those who have a chronic cardiac pathology. In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Vivek Rao of the University of Toronto puts the findings of the study, such as a 59 percent survival to hospital discharge rate, in perspective.
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news