Outcomes for patients with cardiogenic shock complicating MI have not significantly improved over the last 30 years despite the development of percutaneous mechanical circulatory support technologies and the national standard of emergent angioplasty and stenting.

The SCAI SHOCK pyramid is intended to provide clinicians and researchers with a unified and standardized vocabulary that will translate across all settings. Additionally, the system aims to facilitate recognition of risk for adverse outcomes, potential for benefit from various interventions and prognosis, with the goal of reducing mortality on an individual as well as a national scale.

All authors: David A. Baran, MD, FSCAI (Co-Chair); Cindy L. Grines, MD, MSCAI; Steven Bailey, MD, MSCAI; Daniel Burkhoff, MD, PhD; Shelley A. Hall, MD; Timothy D. Henry MD, MSCAI; Steven M. Hollenberg, MD;  Navin K. Kapur, MD, FSCAI; William O'Neill MD, MSCAI; Joseph P. Ornato, MD; P. Kelly Stelling RN; Holger Thiele, MD; Sean van Diepen, MD, MSc; and Srihari S. Naidu MD, FSCAI (Chair).