A Case of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy after Dermal Burn on the Face and Hands

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also known as stress-induced cardiomyopathy or broken heart syndrome, generally has a good prognosis but occasionally causes serious complications. It is often triggered by physical and emotional stressors. Burns have been associated with takotsubo cardiomyopathy in six cases in the literature. We report here the seventh case. The patient, an 86-year-old woman with burn injuries to her face and hands due to a fire in her home, developed takotsubo cardiomyopathy. The condition was suspected soon after presentation due to precautionary electrocardiogram and then laboratory findings of elevated myocardial biomarkers. The diagnosis was then confirmed by left ventriculography. The cardiomyopathy resolved spontaneously without complications. The burn in our patient affected only 5% of total body surface area, but its impact may have been augmented by emotional stress caused by the patient losing her home in the fire. Our review of the six burn-related takotsubo cardiomyopathy cases in the literature showed that two of the cases also had small burns in combination with severe emotional stress. Since all six cases developed serious complications, the possibility of takotsubo cardiomyopathy should be suspected, even with small burns.