Stress Cardiomyopathy as a Complication of SARS-CoV-2 Infection

The worldwide spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in early 2020 led to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Acute lung diseases, such as COVID-19 pneumonia, can trigger stress cardiomyopathy, raising concerns about potential cardiovascular complications related to these diseases. The current case involved a 72-year-old man with SARS-CoV-2 infection who was experiencing dyspnea, desaturation, and oppressive retrosternal chest pain. On his admission to the hospital, an electrocardiogram demonstrated sinus tachycardia, negative T waves in leads V4-V6, and slight ST-segment elevation in the same precordial leads. The patient also had an increased troponin I value and worsening of his baseline respiratory failure, which required starting noninvasive ventilation. The echocardiogram showed moderately depressed left ventricular systolic function and apical ballooning. The echocardiographic changes resolved during hospitalization without directed therapeutic intervention. We diagnosed Takotsubo syndrome associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection; however, the pathophysiological disruption remains to be clarified.