The causality quandary in a patient with stroke, Takotsubo syndrome and severe coronary artery disease

Cardiocerebral Infarction: A Single Institutional Series

OBJECTIVES

Cardiocerebral infarction (CCI) is the rare occurrence of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI), either at the same time (simultaneous or synchronous) or one after the other (metachronous). The aim of this study is to describe the clinical profile, management and treatment outcomes of patients with CCI.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is a 3-year cross-sectional study of patients with CCI describing their clinical presentation, management, and outcomes. The primary outcome measures were all-cause mortality and functional outcome measured with the modified Rankin Scale score (mRS) at discharge and at 30 days post-CCI. We also described the frequency of major and minor hemorrhagic events.

RESULTS

Out of 1683 AIS patients and 1983 AMI patients admitted during our time period, 29 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria (mean age 60 ±12, 79% males, median admission NIHSS 16 [range 1-26]). Of these, 20 (69%) had metachronous CCI while 9 (31%) had synchronous CCI. Most of the patients were given antithrombotics and only 14% were given reperfusion therapies. The all-cause mortality is 45% and 69% of which were cardiovascular deaths. Seventeen and 21% of CCI patients had a good functional outcome on discharge and at 30 days from CCI onset respectively. A total of 8 (28%) patients had hemorrhagic events.

CONCLUSIONS

We present the largest single institutional series showing the prevalence rate of cardiocerebral infarction to be 0.79% (0.55% for metachronous, 0.25% for synchronous), with patients presenting as moderate-severe acute ischemic strokes and high-risk acute myocardial infarction. These patients have a high mortality rate with a significant proportion having cardiovascular deaths.

Takotsubo Syndrome: Clinical Features, Pathogenesis, Treatment, and Relationship with Cerebrovascular Diseases

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This review paper aims to provide a complete and updated overview on the clinical and pathophysiological aspects of Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), including prognosis, therapy, and the association with cerebrovascular conditions.

RECENT FINDINGS

TTS is an increasingly recognized non-ischemic cardiomyopathy characterized by sudden, temporary weakening of the myocardium, of which the pathogenesis is unknown. Although pathogenesis of TTS remains unclear, a complex interaction between catecholamine-mediated stimulation, myocardial stunning, and subsequent stress-related myocardial dysfunction seems to be the main pathophysiological mechanism. Stroke is linked to TTS by a dual relationship since it may induce TTS by catecholamine release even if TTS itself also may be complicated by left ventricular thrombi leading to stroke. Given its possible complications, including the association with neurological diseases, both cardiologist and neurologists should be aware about TTS in order to diagnose it promptly and to initiate appropriate therapeutic measures.

Acute cardiac sympathetic disruption in the pathogenesis of the takotsubo syndrome: a systematic review of the literature to date

Takotsubo syndrome (TS), also known as broken heart syndrome and neurogenic stunned myocardium, is an acute cardiac disease entity characterized by a clinical picture mimicking that of an acute coronary syndrome. The pathogenesis of TS has not been established yet. Among the most often debated pathologic mechanisms of TS are as follows: first, multi-vessel coronary spasm; second, myocardial microvascular dysfunction; third, aborted myocardial infarction caused by transient thrombotic occlusion of a long wrap-around left anterior descending artery; fourth, left ventricular outflow tract obstruction; fifth, blood-borne catecholamine cardiac toxicity; and sixth, cardiac sympathetic disruption and norepinephrine seethe and spillover. The aim of this review is to provide a thorough analysis of the literature data coming mainly from the neurological literature and dealing with the pathogenesis of TS. Substantial evidence challenging the first five hypotheses and arguing in favor of the hypothesis that acute cardiac sympathetic eruption and norepinephrine seethe and spillover is causing TS in predisposed patients is presented.

Cardiomyopathy in neurological disorders

According to the American Heart Association, cardiomyopathies are classified as primary (solely or predominantly confined to heart muscle), secondary (those showing pathological myocardial involvement as part of a neuromuscular disorder) and those in which cardiomyopathy is the first/predominant manifestation of a neuromuscular disorder. Cardiomyopathies may be further classified as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, restrictive cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, or unclassified cardiomyopathy (noncompaction, Takotsubo-cardiomyopathy). This review focuses on secondary cardiomyopathies and those in which cardiomyopathy is the predominant manifestation of a myopathy. Any of them may cause neurological disease, and any of them may be a manifestation of a neurological disorder. Neurological disease most frequently caused by cardiomyopathies is ischemic stroke, followed by transitory ischemic attack, syncope, or vertigo. Neurological disease, which most frequently manifests with cardiomyopathies are the neuromuscular disorders. Most commonly associated with cardiomyopathies are muscular dystrophies, myofibrillar myopathies, congenital myopathies and metabolic myopathies. Management of neurological disease caused by cardiomyopathies is not at variance from the same neurological disorders due to other causes. Management of secondary cardiomyopathies is not different from that of cardiomyopathies due to other causes either. Patients with neuromuscular disorders require early cardiologic investigations and close follow-ups, patients with cardiomyopathies require neurological investigation and avoidance of muscle toxic medication if a neuromuscular disorder is diagnosed. Which patients with cardiomyopathy profit most from primary stroke prevention is unsolved and requires further investigations.