Northeast Georgia Medical Center Joins National Cardiogenic Shock Initiative

Northeast Georgia Medical Center is joining with other hospitals nationwide to be part of the National Cardiogenic Shock Initiative.

Only half of all people treated for cardiogenic shock survive, but this new collaboration of 50 hospitals nationwide is working to increase that survival rate.

The goal of the collaboration is to standardize how cardiogenic shock is treated as well as to increase the survival rate to 80%.

The current survival rate is 76%.

Cardiogenic shock is a condition in which the heart suddenly can’t pump enough blood throughout the body.

It is most often caused by a severe heart attack, though not everyone who has a heart attack experiences cardiogenic shock.

Experts say it is a rare occurance, but often fatal.

Dr. Allison Dupont, an interventional cardiologist at North Georgia Medical Center’s Heart Center tells WNEG News there is currently no national standard protocol for treating patients suffering fro cardiogenic shock.

“Currently, there is no national standard protocol for treating patients suffering from cardiogenic shock, so treatment methods vary among hospitals,” said Allison Dupont, MD, FACC, MSCAI – an interventional cardiologist at The Heart Center of NGMC and principal investigator at NGMC for the Initiative. “We want to share the life-saving knowledge we have about how to treat this condition with other hospitals nationwide – contributing to a new, unified standard of care.”

North Georgia Medical Center Gainesville and North Georgia Medical Center Braselton are participating in the National Cardiogenic Shock Initiative and will track the treatment of 500 patients nationwide.