Inverted Takotsubo cardiomyopathy following accidental intravenous administration of epinephrine in a young woman

Reverse Takutsubo Cardiomyopathy in a Patient with Phlegmasia Cerulea Dolens

Reverse takotsubo cardiomyopathy (rTTC) is a rare variant of takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) which is characterized by reversible left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Emotional and physical stress have been implicated in triggering TTC especially in postmenopausal women. TTC and its variants are becoming more recognized due to the widespread adoption of early coronary angiography in the setting of acute coronary syndromes. A man in his late 50s presented to the emergency department with left lower extremity pain, swelling, and cyanosis. Clinical assessment was consistent with phlegmasia cerulea dolens, with deep venous thrombosis detected by venous duplex ultrasound. During his admission, he developed clinical and EKG findings suggestive of acute coronary syndrome. Emergent coronary angiography and ventriculography revealed basal and midventricular hypokinesis with hyperdynamic left ventricular apex, depressed LV dysfunction without coronary artery obstruction diagnostic of reverse takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Venous thromboembolism is a rare finding but has been associated with takotsubo cardiomyopathy and should be considered in the appropriate setting.

Recurrent Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy During Cryoablation Procedure for Atrial Fibrillation: A Case Report

We report a case of 72-year-old female with prior history of takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TSC) who had recurrence of TSC during cryoablation of pulmonary veins for atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. This case is unique because this is the first report of TSC detected during cryoablation and the procedure being stressor for recurrent TSC. We discuss possible mechanism of TSC and management of this case. Readers would have higher alertness of detecting TSC during AF ablation and therefore would be able to manage this serious condition properly.

Intravenous epinephrine overdose in prehospital management of suspected anaphylaxis

A 65-year-old woman called paramedics for stridor and neck swelling following an insect bite with a possible anaphylactic reaction. On arrival paramedics administered intramuscular epinephrine without any observed improvement in stridor. Paramedics then prepared 5 mg of 1:1000 epinephrine for nebulised administration, which was inadvertently given intravenously. The patient developed tachycardia, anxiety and a severe headache, with biochemical evidence of cardiac necrosis without any haemodynamic compromise. The patient recovered over the next 24 hours and no long-term sequelae were identified on CT coronary angiogram, electrocardiography (ECG) echocardiography or invasive angiography. This case highlights the risk of cardiac ischaemia during epinephrine administration and the importance of protocols to ensure appropriate dosing. This case also raises questions regarding appropriate management of epinephrine overdose and shines a light on the absence of guidelines on the prevention of complications from epinephrine administration.

Inverted Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy Associated With the Consumption of a Weight Management Supplement

Inverted takotsubo cardiomyopathy (ITC) is a rare disease that has a strong association with pheochromocytoma and intracranial hemorrhage. We describe the case of a patient who developed ITC after an extra dose, along with chronic exposure, of a weight management supplement containing caffeine and amphetamine-like stimulants, a combination that could potentially raise the local sympathetic tone of the myocardium. The patient was managed conservatively and recovered in 2 months. This report emphasizes the importance of the awareness of the potential association between ITC and the consumption of caffeine and amphetamine-like stimulants.

Life-Threatening Accidental Intravenous Epinephrine Overdose in a 12-Year-Old Boy

Reports on accidental intravenous epinephrine overdose in children are extremely rare, although medication errors in the management of pediatric anaphylaxis seem to be frequent. We report a case of a 12-year-old boy presenting with a long-lasting skin rash and dyspnea who was incorrectly diagnosed with early anaphylactic shock and was treated with 10-fold the recommended dose administered by the wrong route (intravenous instead of intramuscular). He reacted with acute loss of consciousness and acute cardiorespiratory failure due to arterial hypotension, ischemic heart failure, and severe pulmonary edema. He responded rapidly to mechanical ventilation, treatment with diuretics, and low-dose inotropes and recovered without sequelae. Despite this ultimately favorable outcome, we report this case to remind the scientific community that inadvertent and accidental epinephrine overdosing is probably an underrecognized event, which can result in potentially lethal complications. Heightening the awareness of the personnel, implementing safety precautions for the dosage and the route of administration, stocking of prefilled intramuscular dose syringes for emergency use in anaphylaxis and, ideally, introducing a standardized drug order form should reduce potential risks and facilitate proper and optimal treatment for all acutely ill children.

Wound infiltration with bupivacaine 0.5% with or without adrenaline does not decrease pain after thyroidectomy. A randomized controlled study

Objectives:

To study the effect of local wound infiltration with and without adrenaline on pain perception after thyroidectomy using the visual analog score (VAS).

Methods:

A prospective randomized controlled double-blinded study was conducted between May 2015 and June 2016 at The University of Jordan Hospital, Amman, Jordan. Eighty-nine patients undergoing planned thyroidectomy were included in the study. Patients were divided randomly into 3 groups: Group A, local wound infiltration with bupivacaine 0.5% was administered; Group B, bupivacaine 0.5% with adrenaline was administered; Group C (control), no infiltration was performed. Standardized thyroidectomies were performed in the 3 groups. Pain perception was measured using VAS at 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 hours after surgery. A comparison between the 3 groups was carried out.

Results:

No significant differences among the 3 groups were observed at all time points (p=0.246). Visual analog scores were significantly lower at 12 and 24 hours after operations.

Conclusion:

Local wound infiltration with bupivacaine 0.5% does not decrease pain perception after thyroidectomy performed under general anesthesia, and adding adrenaline does not enhance its effect.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy following unintentionally large subcutaneous adrenaline injection: a case report

Introduction

Stress cardiomyopathy, also known as takotsubo syndrome, is characterized by transient left ventricular dysfunction not attributable to obstructive epicardial coronary artery disease. Several pathological mechanisms have been proposed, including multivessel coronary artery vasospasm, coronary microcirculatory dysfunction, and excess catecholamine secretion.

Case presentation

A 68-year-old male presented to our institution for elective surgical removal of a cutaneous basal cell carcinoma on the right side of his face. Within minutes following the administration of local anaesthesia, the patient developed severe hypertension, tachycardia, ST-segment elevation on the electrocardiogram, and non-sustained broad-complex tachycardia. Urgent cardiac catheterization revealed non-obstructive coronary artery disease and left ventriculography demonstrated apical hypokinesia and moderate systolic dysfunction consistent with the takotsubo syndrome. On review of the medications administered, it was noted that an unintentionally large dose of adrenaline (4mg) had been injected subcutaneously with lignocaine. He was monitored in the coronary care and recovered fully with supportive care only. Bisoprolol was initiated on day 1 post procedure. On follow-up one month later, his left ventricular function had normalized.

Discussion

Our case report provides direct evidence supporting the pathogenetic role of excess catecholamine secretion in the development of the takotsubo syndrome. A review of the literature reveals that both exogenous catecholamine administration (adrenaline injection in the context of anaphylaxis or infiltrative anaesthesia) and excess endogenous catecholamine (phaechromocytoma) secretion has been associated with the takotsubo syndrome. Local infiltrative anaesthesia with the addition of adrenaline is commonly used as a vasoconstrictor in a wide variety of surgical procedures. To reduce the risk of adverse events, the lowest effective concentration of adrenaline to provide pain control and vasoconstriction is recommended.

Drug-Induced Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND

The most plausible hypothesis for takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is a catecholamine surge. Direct administration of catecholamines or medications causing catecholamine surge is frequently used in clinical practice.

METHODS

A Medline/PubMed database search was conducted for case reports or series of drug-induced TCM. All reported cases of drug-induced TCM were systemically identified and analyzed.

RESULTS

We identified 157 cases of drug-induced TCM. Fifty-seven (36.3%) cases were related to the administration of exogenous catecholamines. In 50 (31.9%) other cases, there was potential adrenergic effect. This included drugs with adrenergic vasoconstriction properties (3.2%), hyperadrenergic state due to alcohol or opioid withdrawal (7.7%), inhibitors of catecholamine reuptake (14.7%), anaphylactic reaction that is accompanied by catecholamine release (3.2%), and psychological or somatic stress coinciding with the administration of a drug that was thought to be the culprit (3.2%). Overall, 68.2% of these drug-induced TCM cases were catecholamine related. In 14 (8.9%) cases, the likely etiology of cardiomyopathy was chemotherapy-induced coronary vasospasm.

CONCLUSION

Our systematic review showed that over two-thirds of drug-induced TCM cases were due to direct or indirect catecholamine stimulation. The lowest effective dose and shortest duration of catecholamines should be utilized, and alternative therapies should be considered if feasible.

Colorimetric detection of epinephrine using an optimized paper-based aptasensor

Morphological modification of gold nanoparticles to obtain a highly efficient paper based sensor for colorimetric detection of epinephrine (LOD – Limit of Detection).

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy associated with epinephrine use: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a syndrome of transient cardiac dysfunction that is frequently associated with sudden emotional or physical stress. Epinephrine use has been implicated in precipitating Takotsubo cardiomyopathy in multiple case reports and case series. We sought to systematically review the current English literature on this association.

METHODS

We searched relevant articles on Takotsubo cardiomyopathy associated with epinephrine administration and extracted data on demographic characteristics, clinical features, investigations and clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

We identified total of 41 cases from 36 articles. The mean age of presentation was (47.07±15.73years) with strong female preponderance (83%, P=0.0001). The most common symptom at presentation was chest pain (82%). Mean peak troponin I level was (7.12±11.22ng/ml). The most common EKG abnormality was ST elevation, seen in 40% of patients. The most common finding on echocardiography was apical hypokinesis, seen in 48.78% cases. Patients younger than 45 were less likely to have apical cardiomyopathy (n=5/20, 25%) compared to patients with age >45 (n=14/21, 66%, p value 0.001, OR 0.17). The most common route of administration of epinephrine was intravenous (65.85%). All patients except one survived with complete recovery of systolic function reported in most cases within an average of 14.7days.

CONCLUSION

Exposure to epinephrine in clinical practice can trigger Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, which is rapidly reversible with good prognosis in most cases. This review further supports the notion that both exogenous and endogenous catecholamines are associated with the pathogenesis of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Clinical features and outcome of epinephrine-induced takotsubo syndrome: Analysis of 33 published cases

BACKGROUND

Takotsubo syndrome (TS) may be triggered by innumerable physical stress factors including epinephrine administration. The aim of this study is to report on the clinical features and outcome of epinephrine-induced TS (Epi-TS) in a large cohort of published cases.

METHODS

A computer assisted search of the electronic data base Pubmed was performed from 1990 to 2014. All cases deemed to have Epi-TS were retrieved and compared to the large recent report by Templin et al. (All-TS).

RESULTS

Thirty-three cases of Epi-TS were retrieved from the literature and compared to 1750 cases of All-TS. Chest pain as a presenting symptom occurred in 45% of cases. The Epi-TS patients were on average 20.6years younger than All-TS patients (p<0.0001). The women were still predominating in Epi-TS but in a significantly lower percentage compared to ALL-TS (73% in Epi-TS vs 89.8% in All-TS, p=0.0054). One third of the Epi-TS cases had basal pattern of TS compared to 2.2% of cases reported in All-TS. Epi-TS cases were characterized by high complication rates, which occurred in 57.6%. The most important risk factor for the development of TS complication was the accidental administration (P<0.001) and the dose of >1mg epinephrine (p=0.02). In spite of high complication rates, the recovery was rapid with no in-hospital mortality.

CONCLUSION

Epi-TS is characterized by a dramatic rapid onset of symptoms after epinephrine administration. Almost half of the cases had apical sparing and one third basal pattern of TS. In spite of high complication rates, the prognosis was good with no in-hospital mortality.

Differences between Takotsubo cardiomyopathy and reverse Takotsubo cardiomyopathy associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage

BACKGROUND

Both Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) and reverse TTC (r-TTC) are characterized by reversible regional wall motion abnormalities of the heart unrelated to coronary artery pathology. It remains unclear whether and/or how r-TTC differs from TTC. Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is occasionally causative of TTC/r-TTC, and this study was conducted to detect possible differences between TTC and r-TTC associated with SAH.

METHODS

A single-center retrospective study was conducted on 328 consecutive SAH patients. They routinely underwent transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), ECG, and measurements of plasma catecholamines and other cardiac biomarkers within 24 h of admission. Demographic, echocardiographic, electrocardiographic and neurochemical profiles were compared between patients with TTC and r-TTC. The diagnosis of TTC/r-TTC was based on the revised Mayo Clinic Criteria.

RESULTS

Data of 21 SAH-induced TTC and 10 SAH-induced r-TTC patients admitted between January 2009 and December 2014 were analyzed. The patients with r-TTC were significantly younger than those with TTC (51.8 ± 10.9 vs. 63.5 ± 14.4 years, p = 0.04). The former exhibited significantly higher plasma epinephrine levels than the latter (809 ± 710 vs. 380 ± 391 pg/mL, p = 0.04). Plasma norepinephrine levels did not differ significantly (2421 ± 1374 vs. 1724 ± 1591 pg/mL, p = 0.25). No significant differences were observed in other demographic/physiologic variables, echocardiographic parameters, frequency of ECG abnormalities, and 90-day mortality. Moreover, none of the patients who underwent a follow-up TTE exhibited morphologic change from one type to the other.

CONCLUSIONS

The pathomechanisms in TTC and r-TTC may not be identical: however, distinguishing the two conditions may not have great importance from the standpoint of clinical management and prognostication.

Coronary vasospasm is an unlikely cause of Takotsubo syndrome, although we should keep an open mind

This viewpoint pertains to the still elusive pathophysiology of the Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), maintaining the position that this affliction is not the result of coronary vasospasm (CV) involving one or more coronary arteries. Although CV has been rarely encountered in the acute stage of TTS, or elicited via provocative testing in the subacute stage of the disease, it does not appear to be the cause of TTS as shown by the bulk of the published relevant literature. The author provides some speculations to explain the spontaneous appearance of CV, or its artificial elicitation, in some patients with TTS. However while we are striving to unravel the pathophysiology of TTS, we should keep an open mind about a possible role for CV in the causation of TTS.

Iatrogenic takotsubo cardiomyopathy induced by locally applied epinephrine and cocaine

A 67-year-old man underwent surgery under general anaesthesia to obtain a biopsy from a tumour in the left maxillary sinus. Before the procedure a mucosal detumescence containing epinephrine and cocaine was applied onto the nasal mucosa. Shortly after termination of anaesthesia the patient developed tachycardia and an abrupt rise in blood pressure followed by a drop to critical levels. The patient turned pale and clammy but denied chest pain at any time. An ECG showed inferolateral ST-segment elevation, and troponin T was elevated at 0.773 ng/mL. An acute coronary angiography demonstrated normal coronary arteries; however, left ventriculography showed apical ballooning of the left ventricle, and the diagnosis of takotsubo cardiomyopathy was made. This was confirmed by a subsequent transthoracic echocardiography. Four days later the patient had complete resolution of the symptoms, and a new echocardiography showed normalisation of the left ventricular systolic function with no signs of apical ballooning.

Basal cardiomyopathy develops in rabbits with ventricular tachyarrhythmias induced by a single injection of adrenaline

We have recently demonstrated that basal cardiomyopathy develops in rabbits with ventricular tachyarrhythmias that have been induced by electrical stimulation of the cervical vagus. This study investigated whether similar basal cardiomyopathy would develop in rabbits with ventricular tachyarrhythmias induced by a single injection of adrenaline. Adrenaline was intravenously infused for 10-360 seconds in anesthetized rabbits. Colloidal carbon was injected after adrenaline infusion. Wall movement velocity of the left ventricular base was assessed by tissue Doppler echocardiography. Animals were killed either 1 week or 3-4 weeks later. Pathological lesions were identified by deposits of carbon particles. Animals were divided into two groups according to the infused dose of adrenaline. The small-dose group (group S, n = 15) received 1-10 μg and the large-dose group (group L, n = 23) received 15-60 μg of adrenaline. Adrenaline infusion induced premature ventricular contractions followed by monomorphic ventricular tachycardias in 22 of 23 animals in group L, but in only 1 of 15 animals in group S. Wall movement velocity of the left ventricular base decreased just after adrenaline infusion, remained low after 1 week, and recovered to near-baseline levels after 3-4 weeks in group L. Unique cardiac lesions identified by deposits of carbon particles were frequently observed on the left ventricular basal portion, almost always associated with the mitral valve and papillary muscles, but were never observed in the apical area. Lesions involving all areas of the left ventricular basal portion were observed in 22 of 23 animals in group L, but in only 2 of 15 animals in group S. Basal cardiomyopathy developed in rabbits with ventricular tachycardias induced by a single injection of adrenaline.