Takotsubo Syndrome in a Critical COVID-19 Patient: Electrocardiographic and Echocardiographic Evolution

Background

By resembling a Japanese traditional octopus trap, i.e. a takotsubo, Hikaru Sato described the first case of “Takotsubo cardiomyopathy” in a patient without coronary stenosis and end-systolic left ventricular apical ballooning on a cardiac left ventriculography.Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is a clinical syndrome characterized by an acute and transient left ventricular systolic dysfunction related to an emotional or physical stressful event. COVID-19 is a recognized trigger for TTS, with the possible explanations being the enormous emotional stress caused by the pandemic and the entire spectrum of myocardial damage associated with SARS-COV-2.

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