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Broken heart as work-related accident: Occupational stress as a cause of takotsubo cardiomyopathy in 55-year-old female teacher – Role of automated function imaging in diagnostic workflow

Authors :
Agnieszka Mielczarek
Jarosław Damian Kasprzak
Andrzej Marcinkiewicz
Małgorzata Kurpesa
Barbara Uznańska-Loch
Karina Wierzbowska-Drabik
Source :
International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, Vol 28, Iss 6, Pp 1031-1034 (2015)
Publication Year :
2015
Publisher :
Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, 2015.

Abstract

Takotsubo cardiomiopathy (TTC) (known also as “ampulla cardiomyopathy,” “apical ballooning” or “broken heart syndrome”) is connected with a temporary systolic left ventricular dysfunction without the culprit coronary lesion. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy was first described in 1990 in Japan after octopus trapping pot with a round bottom and narrow neck similar in shape to left ventriculogram in TTC patients. The occurrence of TTC is usually precipitated by a stressful event with a clinical presentation mimicking myocardial infarction: chest pain, ST-T segment elevation or T-wave inversion, a rise in cardiac troponin, and contractility abnormalities in echocardiography. A left ventricular dysfunction is transient and improves within a few weeks. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy typically occurs in postmenopausal women and the postulated mechanism is catecholamine overstimulation. Moreover, the distribution of contractility impairments usually does not correspond with typical region supplied by a single coronary artery. Therefore, the assessment of regional pattern of systolic dysfunction with speckle-tracking echocardiography and automated function imaging (AFI) technique may be important in diagnosis of TTC and may improve our insight into its patophysiology. We described a 55-year-old female teacher with TTC diagnosed after acute psychological stress in workplace. The provoking factor related with occupational stress and pattern of contraction abnormalities documented with AFI technique including basal segments of left ventricle make this case atypical.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
12321087 and 1896494X
Volume :
28
Issue :
6
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.2c111abb970543aebd342f6012b8a17b
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.13075/ijomeh.1896.00564