Vnitr Lek 2015, 61(6):531-534

"Stressful holiday" - takotsubo cardiomyopathy

Lumír Koc, Marie Pavlušová, Jiří Pařenica, Jan Maňoušek, Jitka Vlašínová, Jindřich Špinar, Petr Kala^*

Interní kardiologická klinika LF MU a FN Brno, pracoviště Bohunice, přednosta prof. MUDr. Jindřich Špinar, CSc., FESC

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is an acute syndrome characterized by rapid onset of transient systolic dysfunction of the left ventricle. Symptoms, ECG and laboratory findings resemble acute coronary syndrome, from which TTC differs by the absence of coronary artery disease. In typical cases, TTC is triggered by exposure to unexpected stress and the clinical course and prognosis are very good. We present a case of a 63-year-old woman, in whom the onset of the disease was complicated by ventricular fibrillation. The patient recovered without sequelae thanks to immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation and following care in a specialized cardiocenter, which involved also implantation of implantable cardioverter defibrillator to prevent sudden cardiac death. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is an important entity in the differential diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. Despite very good prognosis in most cases it should not be underestimated and it deserves careful attention and treatment which can prevent harmful complications.

Keywords: myocardial infarction; sudden cardiac death; takotsubo cardiomyopathy; ventricular fibrillation

Received: December 3, 2014; Accepted: February 11, 2015; Published: June 1, 2015  Show citation