[Perioperative approach of patient with takotsubo syndrome]

Perioperative takotsubo cardiomyopathy: Implications for anesthesiologist

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is characterized by transient ventricular dysfunction in the absence of obstructive coronary artery disease that may be triggered by an acute medical illness or intense physical or emotional stress. TCM is often confused with acute myocardial infarction given the similar electrocardiographic changes, cardiac enzymes, hemodynamic perturbations, and myocardial wall motion abnormalities. In the perioperative setting, the clinical picture may be more confusing because of the effect of anesthesia as well as hemodynamic changes related to the surgery itself. However, awareness of various other diagnostic modalities may enable clinicians to distinguish between the two, more systematically and with greater certainty. Despite the large body of literature, there still seems to be an overall paucity in our understanding of the etiopathogenesis, clinical characteristics, natural history, and management of this syndrome, especially in the perioperative setting. This narrative review seeks to present and synthesize the most recent literature on TCM and to identify gaps in current knowledge which can become the basis for future research.

Transesophageal echo diagnosis of perioperative unusual transient left ventricular apical ballooning syndrome

Stress cardiomyopathy, or Takotsubo syndrome, is a widely recognized cardiac pathology with a clinical presentation similar to acute coronary syndrome and related to physical or emotional stress. Perioperatively, it is challenging to identify it given the variety of forms and scenarios in which it can present. We describe a 22-year-old patient with an atypical presentation of Takotsubo syndrome during anesthesia induction, which highlights the usefulness of transesophageal echocardiography for the initial diagnosis.