Cardiogenic shock is a syndrome of different etiologies resulting in the inability of the heart to provide adequate O2 delivery to peripheral organs and tissues with or without signs of severe pulmonary congestion or pulmonary edema. Clarification of the underlying etiologies is essential for prognosis and therapy. Depending on the various etiologies, the therapeutic procedure may be totally different. Furthermore, it is decisive to differentiate between an acute shock (e.g., acute myocardial infarction) and the development of a cardiogenic shock state on the basis of preexisting chronic congestive heart failure (e.g., congestive cardiomyopathy). Whenever possible the underlying disease should be treated causally (e.g., PTCA or thrombolytic therapy in AM, lysis in acute pulmonary embolism) in addition to symptomatic pharmacologic treatment with vasodilators and/or inodilators. In myogenic cardiogenic shock, the treatment with inotropic drugs (with and without vasodilatory potency) and, if necessary, in combination with additional vasodilators may be life-saving. At present, there is no alternative to catecholamines in the acute state with apparent hemodynamic instability. Catecholamines still represent the initial first line treatment. A Swan-Ganz catheter is mandatory in such situations. In view of the rapid beta 1-receptor down-regulation induced by endogenous catecholamines, long-term administration of exogenous catecholamines (adrenalin, dopamine, dobutamine), seems essentially problematic, since these compounds intensify and accelerate this process.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)