takotsubo syndrome "broken heart"

[caeRn]

Hello,

I am wondering if any one can give me their experience with the diagnosis takotsubo aka broken heart syndrome. I know what it is and i know how to treat it. I know it can be reversable but i want to know if any nurses have had patients with this illness and did they improve? My father was rushed to ER with CP. He had an MI. Once they did cath, dr said he was clean as a whistle no blockage at all. He was disgnosed with Takotsubo Syndrome. This illness has lowered his EF to 35%. He has started on ace inhibitor and beta blocker. He is know scared to do anything. Any body experience his disease?:redbeathe

[celticcare]

We have had a run of them here lately, come in with typical MI symptoms, trop rise, ecg changes, go to the cath lab and boom, clean normal arteries.

Each patient that I have had personally, seems to do well out in the community on the medications and relieving of provoking factors such as stressors or issues that brought on the MI.

Being scared is natural as we known, but being too scared to maintain a normal life, will cause more harm than good, as it will inhibit his healing and reduce the work the BB and ACEI can do.

Support is great and what he needs, but encourage to return to activity under the levels suggested by the cardiologist and have a repeat echo later. EF's can come up and akinetic portions of the ventricle can be temporary.

[caeRn]

Thank you for your knowledge. I really appreciate your personal experience with patients with the illness

[pghfoxfan]

Broken Heart Syndrome is real. As said above, it can be diagnosed with a negative Cath and an echo. I believe the heart has a specific shape of an hour glass. Their EF is low, but in most cases, that is reversible. Unfortunately, their are some doctors that rush into treatments such as an ICD/Bi V ICD instead of waiting for time and medications to help. There has probably been just as many cases of takotsubo syndrome, but we just called it "broken hearted".

[Dinith88]

Hello,

I am wondering if any one can give me their experience with the diagnosis takotsubo aka broken heart syndrome. I know what it is and i know how to treat it. I know it can be reversable but i want to know if any nurses have had patients with this illness and did they improve? My father was rushed to ER with CP. He had an MI. Once they did cath, dr said he was clean as a whistle no blockage at all. He was disgnosed with Takotsubo Syndrome. This illness has lowered his EF to 35%. He has started on ace inhibitor and beta blocker. He is know scared to do anything. Any body experience his disease?:redbeathe

Yes Takotsubo reverses... usually within a few weeks to a few months. Cardiac function usually returns to baseline in that time. In my experience with it, an initial improvement occurs over a few-to-several days but residual HF symptoms can take longer to resolve. It's troubling because of the low EF and bump in enzymes and usually results in a trip to the cath-lab...

At any rate, my limited experience involves a smattering of patients and picking the brains of a few cardiologists about it. The sickest of these patients was ventilated and on IABP...but improved...dramatically...after a few days.

Hope your father's doing better...

[beckyu04]

I work in a cath lab and have been called in for many "broken heart" cases and yes it does reverse. The name I believe means octopus net and that is what the heart looks like under floro when we shoot the pictures. Excessive stress can cause it, like when a spouse dies.