TOPLINE

Many patients who survived cardiogenic shock experienced persistent functional disability and reported lower health-related quality of life (HRQoL) than age-expected US population norms 3 months after hospital discharge, with pain and mobility limitations emerging as common challenges.

METHODOLOGY

• Researchers conducted a prospective cohort study at two US hospitals between December 2023 and August 2024 to examine recovery outcomes among survivors of cardiogenic shock after hospital discharge.
• The study included 141 patients (median age, 60 years; 22% women) who survived cardiogenic shock requiring vasoactive therapy or temporary mechanical circulatory support and completed predischarge assessments; 118 completed the 3-month follow-up.
• The primary outcome was functional disability at 3 months, assessed using the modified Rankin Scale and defined as a score of ≥ 2.
• Researchers evaluated HRQoL using the EQ-5D-5L, employment status, and rehospitalization outcomes after discharge.

TAKEAWAY

• Functional disability was common at discharge, affecting 66% of patients, with 46% experiencing persistent disability 3 months after discharge.
• At 3 months after discharge, patient-reported HRQoL remained below US population norms for adults aged 55-64 years.
• The most commonly reported problem was pain, affecting 67% of patients, followed by mobility limitations (48%), anxiety and/or depression (35%), and problems with self-care (18%).
• Three months after discharge, 34% of patients required rehospitalization (median length of stay, 10 days). Among those who were employed full-time before hospital admission, 36% had returned to full-time work by 3 months, and 45% reported any employment.

IN PRACTICE

“Together these results suggest that functional impairments occur frequently after CS [cardiogenic shock],” the researchers wrote.

SOURCE

The study was led by Eric J. Hall, MD, of the UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. It was published online on July 16 in JACC: Heart Failure.

LIMITATIONS

The study enrolled only patients who could provide informed consent, which may have underestimated the burden of functional impairment among cardiogenic shock survivors. The 3-month follow-up period limited the assessment of longer-term recovery. The observational design prevented researchers from identifying the mechanisms that contributed to impairment after cardiogenic shock.

DISCLOSURES

The study received partial support from the National Center for Advancing Translational Science, National Institutes of Health (NIH) through the UT Southwestern Clinical and Translational Award Program. Some authors disclosed receiving grant support or research funding from the NIH and other sources. One author disclosed serving as the scientific director of a research consortium. All other authors had no relevant relationships to disclose.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.