Cardiogenic shock is one of the leading causes of death following acute myocardial infarction affecting 10% of patients with large myocardial infarcts with a subsequent mortality rate of 50%. Here we describe a large porcine model of acute ischemic cardiogenic shock. Acute left or right ventricular failure can be achieved with close to a 100% success rate by stepwise injection of microspheres into the left or right coronary artery, respectively, and the method allows for titration of heart failure to a prespecified level.