Following surgical intervention and standard heart failure therapy, the patient's left ventricular ejection fraction rapidly improved from 25% to 50% within one month, supporting a diagnosis of Takotsubo syndrome.
Case Report (n=1)
No
Rapid recovery of left ventricular function in late pregnancy complicated by fetal demise suggests Takotsubo syndrome rather than peripartum cardiomyopathy.
Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a major cause of heart failure in late pregnancy and the postpartum period, whereas takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is rare but may occur under severe stress. Differentiation between these conditions is challenging due to overlapping clinical features. A 30-year-old woman with an in vitro fertilization pregnancy presented at 34 weeks of gestation with dyspnea and intrauterine fetal demise. Echocardiography revealed severe left ventricular dysfunction (ejection fraction, 25%). Following surgical intervention and standard heart failure therapy, ventricular function improved rapidly, with the ejection fraction reaching 50% within one month. Despite pregnancy-related risk factors suggesting PPCM, the rapid recovery of left ventricular function favored a diagnosis of TCM. This case highlights the importance of careful clinical and imaging assessment and emphasizes that rapid ventricular recovery in late pregnancy should raise strong suspicion for TCM, even when classical PPCM risk factors coexist.
Aydın et al. (Mon,) conducted a case report in Takotsubo Syndrome / Acute Heart Failure (n=1). Standard heart failure therapy and surgical intervention was evaluated on Left ventricular ejection fraction recovery. Following surgical intervention and standard heart failure therapy, the patient's left ventricular ejection fraction rapidly improved from 25% to 50% within one month, supporting a diagnosis of Takotsubo syndrome.