Acute myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease (CAD) are the most common causes for the development of malignant arrhythmia often leading to cardiogenic shock and cardiac arrest. Structural heart disease represents the main pathology in older patients, whereas young adults mostly suffer from cardiomyopathies and channelopathies. This book chapter delineates modern interventional therapies for patients with cardiogenic shock or aborted cardiac arrest. Epidemiological data on the incidence of malignant arrhythmia depending causing cardiac arrest depending on the presence or absence of CAD and myocardial infarction are presented. Realistic difficulties within clinical decision-making are counterbalanced for and against an early, aggressive and invasive therapeutic approach including early coronary angiography with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), targeted temperature management and mechanical cardiac assist devices, depending on the individual clinical presentation and underlying cardiac arrhythmia.
Part of the book: Myocardial Infarction