ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction Complicated by Cardiogenic Shock: Systematic Review of Survival Predictors

Cardiogenic shock complicating acute myocardial infarction is associated with reduced survival despite advancements in the treatment of acute coronary syndromes. Characterizing predictors of morbidity and mortality in this setting is crucial to improve risk stratification and management. Notwithstanding, the interplay of factors determining survival in this condition remains poorly studied. Embase, MEDLINE and CINAHL databases were searched for original studies evaluating predictors of short-term (30-day or in-hospital) survival in ST elevation myocardial infarction with cardiogenic shock (STEMI-CS). Included studies were analyzed by way of vote counting, identifying variables that predicted mortality or survival. Twenty-four studies, consisting of 14,735 patients (5,649 non-survivors and 9,086 survivors) were included. All studies were observational by design (17 retrospective and 7 prospective) with clinical and statistical heterogeneity. Unsuccessful revascularization, reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, renal impairment and other variables were identified as key independent predictors of mortality. Several key variables have been shown to independently increase mortality in STEMI-CS populations. Future prospective studies examining the prognostic role of multi-variate scoring systems incorporating these domains are required.