2026 SCAI SHOCK

SCAI SHOCK: Home of the Shock Team is a step-by-step guide to building a contemporary cardiogenic shock program led by a multi-disciplinary team of seasoned leaders, each with a wealth of experience running and participating in cardiogenic shock programs.

This year's meeting will explore the individual building blocks of a contemporary shock program, equipping attendees with a comprehensive understanding of shock management, from initial recognition to advanced treatment strategies, including: 

• Scientific updates—the latest evidence-based best practices for treating cardiogenic shock and cardiac arrest
• Optimal shock management strategies—the role of EMS, transportation, and the ED in early recognition and nuanced patient care
• Shock ICU essentials—hemodynamic monitoring, vasoactive medications, and the debate between dedicated versus mixed ICUs for shock patients
• Antiplatelet therapy optimization—implementing optimal pharmacodynamic strategies for high-risk patients
• Complexities in the cath lab—identifying unseen threats, understanding right heart hemodynamics, and effective communication strategies
• Team set-up and optimization—including activation processes, role optimization, quality improvement metrics, and tools that can bridge the gap between shock clinicians and the C-suite
• Cardiac ICU problem-solving—understanding cardiac indices, troubleshooting MCS devices, and weaning strategies
• Post-danger care—deliberating the harms and benefits of inotropes, the significance of IABP in the community, and expanding perspectives beyond AMI-shock to include HF-shock
• High-risk PCI—navigating the complexities of resource allocation and coordination
• Future directions in shock management, including novel support devices, leveraging machine learning for risk stratification, and the role of AI in decision-making

Translating the ideal to the real world will be intensivists (medical/cardiac), cardiologists (interventional, heart failure, critical care), cardiac surgeons, advanced practice providers (APPs), and hospital administrators representing the diversity of clinical practice settings to help you apply what you learn in:

• Community and academic hospitals
• Urban and rural locations
• Surgical and non-surgical settings
• Treating patients with and without advanced heart failure

Suitable for representatives of hospitals looking to improve or formalize their shock program, including but not limited to cardiologists, intensivists, surgeons, nurses, APPs, and hospital administrators within the disciplines of critical care, cardiothoracic surgery, heart failure, interventional cardiology, and CV service line leadership.