In-hospital and long-term mortality in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy: a community hospital experience

BACKGROUND Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC) is characterized by reversible left ventricular dysfunction, frequently precipitated by a stressful event. Despite the favorable course and good long-term prognosis, a variety of complications may occur in the acute phase of the disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in-hospital and long-term outcomes of a cohort of TTC patients. METHODS Fifty-five patients (mean age 68.1±12 years) were prospectively followed for a mean of 69.6±32.2 months (64,635 days). In-hospital (death, heart failure, arrhythmias) and long-term events (death and recurrences) were recorded. RESULTS Patients were predominantly women (87.3%) who experienced a recent stressful event (emotional or physical) and were admitted to hospital for chest pain. Eleven patients (20%) had a diagnosis of depressive disorder, and arterial hypertension was the most frequent cardiovascular risk factor. The ECG revealed ST-segment elevation in 43.6% of patients. At angiography, seven cases (12.7%) had at least one significant (≥50%) coronary artery stenosis and four patients (7.3%) had myocardial bridging of the left anterior descending artery. During hospitalization, three patients died (one from cardiac causes) and cardiovascular complications occurred in 12 patients. During follow-up, five patients died (none from cardiac causes), six patients had recurrences within the first year. Two patients had two recurrences: one after 114 days, triggered by an asthma attack as the first event, and the other after 1,850 days. CONCLUSIONS In TTC patients, in-hospital and long-term mortality is primarily due to non-cardiovascular causes. Recurrences are not infrequent and coronary artery disease is not an uncommon finding.