Why the study?
Formal diagnostic criteria for TS rely on invasive procedures and symptom resolution, relegating it to a diagnosis of exclusion despite potentially lethal acute complications that benefit from rapid identification.
Does point-of-care echocardiography aid in the early identification of Takotsubo syndrome in the emergency department?
Does point-of-care echocardiography aid in the early identification of Takotsubo syndrome in the emergency department?
Point-of-care echocardiography in the emergency department can facilitate the early identification and risk stratification of patients with Takotsubo syndrome.
Point-of-care ultrasound may raise early Takotsubo suspicion amid ACS differentials; hypothesis-generating and should not yet change invasive diagnostic standards.
Takotsubo syndrome (TS) is an incompletely understood, transient dysfunction of the left ventricle. While acute coronary syndrome must be at the forefront of the differential diagnosis and ruled out appropriately, the possibility of TS can be identified early with point-of-care ultrasonography. The formal diagnostic criteria for TS rely on invasive diagnostic procedures and resolution of symptoms, typically relegating it to a diagnosis of exclusion. However, the acute complications are potentially lethal, and rapid identification is therefore beneficial because these patients can be risk-stratified to higher levels of care. Our case series of three patients, each with early suspected and subsequently confirmed TS, explores how early emergency department ultrasonography can suggest the diagnosis during the emergent workup, and potentially influence disposition decisions, subsequent interventions, and possibly even outcomes.
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Barnicle et al. (2020) studied this question.
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