Shock has potentially reversible causes of morbidity and mortality if appropriately diagnosed and managed. Older methods of invasive monitoring have significant limitations but are still critical for managing shock in certain patients and settings. Newer methods are easier to employ, but further validation is needed. Multiple modalities along with careful clinical assessment are often useful in distinguishing shock subtypes. Best practice standards for monitoring should be based on institutional expertise. As older, invasive monitoring methods such as the pulmonary artery catheter have fallen out of favor, newer technologies for cardiac output estimation, echocardiography, and noninvasive tests such as passive leg raising have gained popularity.

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