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Shock or hypopersusion is a relatively common ED presentation. Of course, shock is not a diagnosis.

It's really a symptom, and there are a number of different causes. We see things like anaphylactic shock

and hemorrhagic shock and septic shock fairly frequently. On the other side of it, things like

cardiogenic shock are much

less common and we are less comfortable taking care of that disorder. I think that's why it's

important for us to focus and know how to take care of those patients when they do end up in our

emergency department. And the first and most important thing is actually identifying that you're

dealing with cardiogenic shock.

Cardiogenic shock, what we're talking about here is hypopurfusion resulting primarily from a pump failure. Differentiating cardiogenic shock from the other forms of shock can be challenging.

Your physical exam might help you. You might see altered mental status, other signs of hypopersusion

like cool skin, and of course the patient's going to be hypotensive, but you can see how mental status, other signs of hypopurfusion like cool skin, and of course

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