Final answer:
Cardiogenic shock may result from a heart attack, increased preload, and poor contractility, but not from increased afterload.
Step-by-step explanation:
Cardiogenic shock results from the inability of the heart to maintain cardiac output. Most often, it results from a myocardial infarction (heart attack), but it may also be caused by arrhythmias, valve disorders, cardiomyopathies, cardiac failure, or simply insufficient flow of blood through the cardiac vessels. Treatment involves repairing the damage to the heart or its vessels to resolve the underlying cause, rather than treating cardiogenic shock directly.
Obstructive shock, on the other hand, occurs when a significant portion of the vascular system is blocked. It can be grouped with cardiogenic shock, but it is not the same. The most common cause of obstructive shock is a pulmonary embolism, where a clot lodges in the pulmonary vessels and interrupts blood flow. Other causes include stenosis of the aortic valve, cardiac tamponade, and pneumothorax.
Therefore, the correct answer is A) increased afterload. Cardiogenic shock can result from increased preload, heart attack, and poor contractility, but not from increased afterload.