Atypical Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy Precipitated by Gastrointestinal Bleeding: Review of the Pathophysiology

Stress-induced cardiomyopathy, otherwise known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy, typically presents with chest pain and acute left ventricular failure with unobstructed coronary arteries. There is an increase in disease incidence as clinicians are becoming more aware of this clinical entity. An atypical variant exists where there is left ventricular dysfunction with apical sparing. Various precipitants have been described in the literature, however, there has not been any documented case following massive gastrointestinal bleeding. We report an atypical variant of takotsubo cardiomyopathy following a gastrointestinal bleed with review of the pathophysiologic mechanisms behind the disease process.