Takotsubo syndrome in a teen health centre

Takotsubo syndrome is also referred to as stress cardiomyopathy and typically occurs in females aged 55 years and older. This demographic represents a significant part of the healthcare workforce and they have over recent decades experienced increasing levels of violence from patients and clients.

Our study describes a Takotsubo syndrome that occurred following an incident of physical and verbal aggression at work in a teen health centre.

We report the case of a 56-year-old female community educator who suffered chest pain 48 h after suffering an aggressive incident at work. She had no history of cardiovascular disease. During hospitalization she was investigated with an electrocardiogram, echocardiography, coronary angiography, left ventriculography and a cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Examinations confirmed the diagnosis of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. This was deemed to be a work-related accident. With the help of her occupational physician, the patient was able to return to work with work adjustments.

Increasing levels of violent behaviours towards staff in the health care sector underscores the need for measures in the workplace to help prevent precipitation of this syndrome in workers.