Clinical & Experimental Cardiology
Open Access
ISSN: 2155-9880
+44 1300 500008
ISSN: 2155-9880
+44 1300 500008
Anand Chockalingam
University of Missouri, USA
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Clin Exp Cardiolog
Stress cardiomyopathy (SC) is increasingly encountered in various settings. Originally it was considered as an acute coronary syndrome mimic presenting to the cardiologists with normal coronaries at the time of emergent catheterization. The increasing awareness, frequency of echocardiography and prolonged complicated intensive care course of older population all contribute to the ever increasing diagnosis of SC. Intensivists, surgeons, neurologists and hospitalizts are encountering SC as a possible/probable diagnosis during routine echocardiography. The characteristic apical ballooning variant conitnues to be the most prevalent manifestion in about 2/3 of the patients. Critical coronary occlusion in the left anterior descending artery could give rise to an identical wall motion abnormality (RWMA) in some instances. Either catherization to exclude disease or demonstartion of complete recovery of RWMA after 5-10 days is needed to confirm the diagnosis of SC. Unique patterns of RWMA are encountered in the form of mid or basal symmetrical akinesia in about a third of the SC patients. This RWMA is not consistent with any coronary distribution. The clincial suspicion based on cardiac signs (like ectopy, arrhythmias, ST segment changes, hypotension) and symptoms (like angina, dyspnea, orthopnea) combined with echocardiographic RWMA can confirm the diagnosis of SC at presentation. These basal and mid ventricular variants do not need catheterization or delay of 5-10 days for the repeat echocardiogram to make this important diagnosis. Specific heart failure and supportive management along with addressing the underlying medical issues will significantly improve outcomes without resorting to more cardiac procedures.