Which laboratory value would you expect to be elevated in cardiogenic shock due to MI?

Which laboratory value would you expect to be elevated in cardiogenic shock due to MI?

• A. Hematocrit decreased
• B. BNP elevated
• C. Hemoglobin decreased
• D. Platelets decreased

Answer: (B)

In cardiogenic shock from a myocardial infarction, the damaged heart cannot pump effectively, so pressures inside the ventricles rise and the heart wall becomes stretched. This stretch stimulates the ventricles to release B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). BNP helps counteract the volume overload by promoting natriuresis, diuresis, and vasodilation, so levels rise as a response to increased cardiac filling pressures and poor pumping. That makes BNP elevation a characteristic finding in this scenario. The other values don’t reflect this specific heart‑failure–related stress. Hematocrit and hemoglobin indicate red blood cell mass and oxygen-carrying capacity, which aren’t direct indicators of the heart’s pumping failure in this setting. Platelets can fluctuate for many reasons, but they aren’t a marker of cardiogenic shock due to MI.

In cardiogenic shock from a myocardial infarction, the damaged heart cannot pump effectively, so pressures inside the ventricles rise and the heart wall becomes stretched. This stretch stimulates the ventricles to release B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). BNP helps counteract the volume overload by promoting natriuresis, diuresis, and vasodilation, so levels rise as a response to increased cardiac filling pressures and poor pumping. That makes BNP elevation a characteristic finding in this scenario.

The other values don’t reflect this specific heart‑failure–related stress. Hematocrit and hemoglobin indicate red blood cell mass and oxygen-carrying capacity, which aren’t direct indicators of the heart’s pumping failure in this setting. Platelets can fluctuate for many reasons, but they aren’t a marker of cardiogenic shock due to MI.