Cardiovascular and Noncardiovascular Prescribing and Mortality After Takotsubo Comparison With Myocardial Infarction and General Population

Prospective comparison of temporal changes in myocardial function in women with Takotsubo versus anterior STEMI

BACKGROUND

Takotsubo syndrome (TS) and STEMI with timely reperfusion are both characterized by reversible acute myocardial dysfunction, often referred to as myocardial stunning. The natural course of cardiac functional recovery is incompletely understood in TS and STEMI. The aim of this study was to prospectively compare changes in cardiac function over the acute and subacute phases in women with TS versus anterior STEMI.

METHODS

The Stunning in Takotsubo versus Acute Myocardial Infarction (STAMI) study prospectively enrolled 61 women with TS and 41 women with STEMI. Echocardiography and blood sampling was performed within 4 h of admission and at 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, and 30 days after admission. The primary outcome was the proportion of reversible left ventricular akinesia (defined as extent of akinesia at baseline versus at 30 days) that resolved by 72 h. Secondary outcomes included LVEF, GLS, and TAPSE. Mixed effects linear regression or mixed effects tobit models with random intercepts were used to model echocardiographic parameters over time.

RESULTS

At 72 h 40.4% [95% CI 30.1%, 50.1%] of the reversible akinesia had resolved in women with TS, versus 54.7% [95% CI 38.3%, 72.0%] for STEMI (difference 14.3% [95% CI - 4.6%, 34.3%]). Time-course of recovery of LVEF and GLS was also similar in TS and STEMI. TAPSE was reduced in TS but normal in STEMI; and recovered in a similar timeframe as the left ventricular indices. In both TS and STEMI, considerable recovery of cardiac function occurred after 7 days.

CONCLUSIONS

The time course of recovery of cardiac function is similar in TS and STEMI.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT04448639, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04448639 .

Takotsubo Syndrome: An International Expert Consensus Report on Practical Challenges and Specific Conditions (Part-1: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenges)

In the recent years, there has been a burgeoning interest in Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), which is renowned as a specific form of reversible myocardial dysfunction. Despite the extensive literature available on TTS, clinicians still face several practical challenges associated with the diagnosis and management of this phenomenon. This potentially results in the underdiagnosis and improper management of TTS in clinical practice. The present paper, the first part (part-1) of the consensus report, aims to cover diagnostic and therapeutic challenges associated with TTS along with certain recommendations to combat these challenges.

Takotsubo syndrome: Impact of medical therapies on prognosis. A state of art review

Tako-Tsubo syndrome (TTS) presents as transient ventricular dysfunction, yet its underlying pathophysiology remains enigmatic. The prognosis of patients presenting with TTS appears to be impaired as compared to the general population and is similar to patients with acute coronary syndromes. Recent investigations have predominantly focused on elucidating therapeutic strategies associated with improved outcomes, particularly among post-menopausal female patients. Current evidence suggests that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) may confer a survival advantage in TTS. Notably, ACEi emerges as the sole therapeutic modality demonstrating efficacy in both acute and chronic clinical courses of TTS. Despite this, the magnitude of survival benefit remains less pronounced than anticipated. This underscores the need for further research to explore additional therapeutic pathways and optimize management strategies for this unique patient cohort. Randomized clinical trials and meta-analysis are paramount in discerning the most effective therapeutic interventions aimed at enhancing survival and ameliorating outcomes in TTS. This review aims to comprehensively synthesize evidence pertaining to the prognostic implications of cardiovascular medications in TTS management.

Long-Term Functional Limitations on Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Emotion-Triggered Takotsubo Syndrome

Background: In patients with prior Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), long-lasting functional cardiac limitations were described as compared with normal subjects. Emotion-triggered Takotsubo syndrome (E-TTS) has more favorable outcomes than TTS preceded by a physical trigger or by no identifiable factors. The aim of the present study was to assess long-term cardiac functional limitations in a cohort of asymptomatic E-TTS patients. Methods: We enrolled n = 40 asymptomatic patients with a diagnosis of E-TTS. Cardiopulmonary exercise tests (CPET) were performed at 30 (12-40) months median follow-up from the acute event. A cohort of n = 40 individuals matched for age, sex, body mass index and comorbidities served as control. Results: Despite recovery of left ventricular ejection fraction, patients with prior E-TTS had lower peak VO2 and percentage of predicted peak VO2 (17.8 ± 3.6 vs. 22.1 ± 6.5; p < 0.001 and 75.2 ± 14.1% vs. 100.6 ± 17.1%, p < 0.001), VO2 at anaerobic threshold (AT) (11.5 [10.1-12.9] vs. 14.4 [12.5-18.7]; p < 0.001), peak O2 pulse (9.8 ± 2.5 vs. 12.9 ± 3.5; p < 0.001) and higher VE/VCO2 slope (30.5 ± 3.7 vs. 27.3 ± 3.5; p < 0.001) compared with matched controls. We found no statistically significant differences in heart rate reserve (HRR), respiratory equivalent ratio (RER), mean blood pressure and peak PetCO2 between patients and controls. Conclusions: Despite its favorable outcome, patients with E-TTS in our population were found to have subclinical long-term functional cardiac limitations as compared with a control cohort.