Door to Unload: a New Paradigm for the Management of Cardiogenic Shock

Cardiogenic shock (CS) remains the most common cause of in-hospital mortality in the setting of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Recent data have identified several concerning trends in the field of AMI-CS that include an overall increase in mortality, an increase in patient complexity, minimal use of acute mechanical circulatory support (AMCS) devices with the majority being implanted as a bailout option. In this review, we will discuss recent trends in CS and the rationale for the use of acute mechanical circulatory support pumps early in the clinical treatment of CS.