Which of the following is an example of a cause of cardiogenic shock?

• A. Myocardial infarction
• B. Sepsis
• C. Severe obstruction of the airway
• D. Anaphylaxis

Answer: (A)

Cardiogenic shock comes from the heart failing to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs, so the main problem is decreased cardiac output due to impaired myocardial contractility. An acute myocardial infarction is the classic cause because it directly injures heart muscle, reducing its ability to eject blood, which drops forward flow and leads to hypotension and signs of poor organ perfusion. The other conditions illustrate different shock types: sepsis causes distributive shock with widespread vasodilation and relative hypovolemia; severe airway obstruction leads to hypoxia-driven instability rather than primary pump failure; anaphylaxis also causes distributive shock from vasodilation and capillary leak. In MI-related cardiogenic shock you’d typically see high filling pressures and pulmonary edema from the heart’s inability to handle the volume, underscoring why an infarction is the best example of cardiogenic shock.