[Stress cardiomyopathy, a topical cardiac disorder]

Stress cardiomyopathy (Tako-Tsubo, Broken Heart syndrome, or apical ballooning syndrome) was recently recognized as a distinct clinical entity. The aims of this review are to define this acute and reversible cardiomyopathy and to list its major clinical, biological and angiographic features. We performed a Medline scan for all relevant case series. The studies thus identified suggest that the apical ballooning syndrome accounts for 2% of ST-elevation infarcts, mainly affects women, and occurs after major emotional or physical stress. Most patients present with chest pain and dyspnoea, cardiogenic shock and (or?) ventricular fibrillation. ST segment modifications and mildly elevated cardiac enzyme levels are reported in 81% of patients. Left ventricular dysfunction occurs in the absence of epicardial coronary artery obstruction and typically consists of a hyperkinetic basal region and an akinetic apical half of the ventricle. The in-hospital mortality rate is about 1.2%. Most patients recover fully after a few weeks. Norepinephrine concentrations are elevated in three-quarters of patients. This syndrome should be considered among the differential diagnoses in patients presenting with chest pain, and especially in post-menopausal women with a recent history of stress. In its broadest sense, this phenomenon may encompass a range of disorders, including left ventricular dysfunction following central nervous system injury. It should also be considered in women with acute coronary syndromes.