Heart attack patients under age 75 who fall into cardiogenic shock may benefit from immediate angioplasty or coronary bypass surgery.

Hochman, J.S., et al. 1999. Early revascularization in acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock. New England Journal of Medicine 341(Aug. 26):625.

Califf, R.M., and J.R. Bengston. 1994. Cardiogenic shock. New England Journal of Medicine 330(June 16):1724.

Hochman, J.S., et al. 1995. Current spectrum of cardiogenic shock and effect of early revascularization on mortality. Circulation 91:873.

Holmes, D.R., et al. 1995. Contemporary reperfusion therapy for cardiogenic shock:

The GUSTO-I trial experience. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 26:668.

Ryan, T.J. 1999. Early revascularization in cardiogenic shock—a positive view of a negative trial. New England Journal of Medicine 341(Aug. 26):687.

Urban, P., et al. 1999. A randomized evaluation of early revascularization to treat shock complicating acute myocardial infarction: The (Swiss) multicenter trial of angioplasty for shock—(S)MASH. European Heart Journal 20:1030.

Van de Werf, F., E.J. Topol, et al. 1995. Variations in patient management and outcomes for acute myocardial infarction in the United States and other countries: Results from the GUSTO trial. Journal of the American Medical Association 273:1586.

Eric Bates
University of Michigan
B1F245 University Hospital
1500 East Medical Center Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Judith S. Hochman
St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center
1111 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10025

Eric J. Topol
Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Department of Cardiology
9500 Euclid Drive
Desk F25
Cleveland, OH 44195

From Science News, Vol. 156, No. 9, August 28, 1999, p. 135. Copyright © 1999, Science Service.