Surviving Cardiogenic Shock
Rapid Response, Collaboration and Advanced Therapies Help Deliver Expert Care to Patient Statewide.
Cardiogenic shock is a life threatening emergency. It can strike within minutes, most often after a heart attack or a sudden worsening of heart failure. No two cases are alike, making it tricky to diagnose and stage. And despite advanced therapies, mortality rates remain as high as 50 percent.
Quickly identifying and treating cardiogenic shock can be the difference between life and death. That’s why care teams at RWJBarnabas Health (RWJBH) have formed a Cardiogenic Shock Team, bringing rapid response, clinical expertise, and heart-saving treatments to patients throughout New Jersey.
“Cardiogenic shock requires an all hands-on-deck approach,” says Matthew Montgomery, MD, an interventional cardiologist and advanced heart failure specialist at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and a member of RWJBH Medical Group. “At RWJBH, we have all the resources in place to identify these patients and get them the proper level of treatment.”
The Cardiogenic Shock Team is activated whenever a patient with suspected cardiogenic shock is identified. Clinicians from multiple specialties—including doctors and advanced practice providers in interventional cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, heart failure, and intensive care—gather to discuss each patient’s symptoms and create a personalized care plan.
“The key here is communication with our colleagues from different specialties,” Dr. Montgomery says. “We give everyone a voice at the table and determine the next best step for each patient, such as going to the cardiac catheterization lab for emergency treatment or receiving a temporary heart pump to improve circulation.”
Research shows that a collaborative approach to cardiogenic shock accelerates time-to-treatment and improves in-hospital survival rates. At RWJBH, the Cardiogenic Shock Team has treated approximately 100 patients since its inception in September 2024, achieving impressive results.
“Some patients walk out of the hospital, follow up with their cardiologists, and don’t need any advanced therapies,” Dr. Montgomery says. “Others receive lifesaving therapies and completely recover. They are true miracle stories.”
Originally designed to care for patients inside RWJBH, the Cardiogenic Shock Team has quickly expanded into a trusted statewide resource. Today, providers caring for cardiogenic shock patients at any hospital in New Jersey can access the team’s expertise.
“We’re here to act as a resource for other hospitals,” Dr. Montgomery says. “We partner with them to identify which stage of shock their patient is in and determine the best place to receive treatment, whether that’s in their hometown hospital or through a transfer to one of our hospitals.”
For patients who need advanced therapies that are available only at RWJBH, the team determines the fastest and safest transfer method—air or ground transport—and the appropriate plan of action.
“Together, we decide where the patient should be transferred, whether it’s directly to the cardiac catheterization lab, the cardiovascular intensive care unit, or the operating room,” Dr. Montgomery says. “Once the patient arrives, we reassess and pivot to a new game plan based on the patient’s condition, if needed.”
