Cardiogenic Shock

  I am a 57 year old female.  I was admitted to the hospital with congestive heart failure.  After a cardiac cath, it was decided that i would need by-pass surgery.  After that I started to feel terrible, I felt that I was running high ketones or something.  I am also a diabetic.   All of a sudden I didn't remember a thing until I woke up 6 days later in the SHU( Surgical Heart Unit) after by-pass surgery.  My family kept going to telemitry to report something was wrong with me and they said I was fine;  In my family's eyes they believed I was consious of everything, but I wasn't.  After this insident I had to have emergency surgery they could not wait till the next day, which was originally scheduled.  My qustiom is just what is Cardiogenic shock?  What happens in your body when this happens, and could this have been avoided had they treated me when I first started to have symptoms of it?  I have never heard of this before and would like some info on it.  Thanks for any information you can give me.
  Marlene
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Dear Marlene,
Thank you for your question.   Shock is the medical term for an acutely ill very critical condition where an individual has very low blood pressures and a low heart output.  There are many different causes of shock and the term cardiogenic is used when it is due to the heart.  The majority of individuals who develop shock do not survive unless they are given aggressive medical care including surgery in some cases.
I can't really comment on you case because I don't know the details but I would say the fact that you have survived is a testimony to the medical care you received.  You doctor may be able to give you more detailed answers to your questions.
I hope you find this information useful.  Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only.  Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies.  Please feel free to write back with additional questions.
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter.  The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.