Association of Pulmonary Artery Catheter Utilization with Outcomes in Patients with Cardiogenic Shock: A Retrospective Propensity-Matched Study

PurposeDespite the need for advanced hemodynamic monitoring, the role of the pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) in cardiogenic shock (CS) remains controversial due to conflicting evidence from previous studies.Material and MethodsThis single-center retrospective study utilized the MIMIC-IV database to assess the impact of PAC use on 30-day in-hospital mortality and clinical outcomes in CS patients admitted between 2008 and 2019. Propensity score matching (PS) and inverse propensity treatment weighting (IPTW) were employed to adjust for baseline differences. The primary outcome was 30-day in-hospital mortality; secondary outcomes included hospital and ICU length of stay and complications. Cox proportional hazard ratio analyses were performed to evaluate the association between PAC use and mortality outcomes.ResultsThe final cohort consisted of 1940 adult CS patients, with 134 receiving PAC and 1806 not. PAC use significantly reduced 30-day in-hospital mortality (PS-matched HR 0.57, 95% CI: 0.39-0.83; IPTW HR 0.58, 95% CI: 0.35-0.96) but was associated with longer hospital stays (16.47 vs 12.37 days) and ICU stays (9.26 vs 7.52 days).ConclusionPAC use in CS patients was associated with improved short-term survival but also with longer hospitalization and potential complications, underscoring the need for careful patient selection and further research.